What Do You Want To Feel?
by citygrl
Summary: Rory and Logan meet their freshman year at Yale and things develop from there...
1. Watch and Wait

Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own Gilmore Girls

**Disclaimer: ** Sadly, I do not own Gilmore Girls. I purely use the premise and the characters for my own personal amusement. All credit should go to Amy Sherman-Palladino for writing such a great series.

**AN:** I'm reposting this story since I have started to write again. Hopefully you'll enjoy it, it's always been my favorite to write. You can thank Kimmy for getting me to repost it. She did nothing but listen and excitedly review therefore giving me motivation. So enjoy!

**Chapter 1: Watch and Wait**

She had been watching him for most of the semester. Watching from a distance, of course. He was her subject and she took copious mental notes. And Rory noticed everything. She saw when his hair was different, when he was happy, when something was bothering him, when he was putting on a front for his friends, when he was smiling at girls he could care less about. In the three and a half months she had spent watching him, Rory had learned a lot about him. The only thing she didn't know was his name. She knew his schedule, his favorite place to hang out, which car was his and his dorm room—but his name was still a mystery.

Though it sounded like she was a stalker, Rory was anything but. It had started out after the first week of classes when she was sitting underneath her study tree. She had been reading a book when a commotion made her look up and see four friends having a good time. She had watched them all at first, but it was the blonde that she kept seeing everywhere. Rory would go into the dining hall and there he was. She would be drinking coffee and he would be in the line in front of her bench. She was walking to her car and saw him in the parking lot. She had even seen him at the campus pub one evening. She knew that he wanted to be cool and a mystery to his friends, he was the rebel, but he didn't come off that way. He was scared. She knew it. Rory's only problem was that she wouldn't go up to him. He would think she was after him—and his obvious bank account. She had seen girls approach him and immediately recognized the look on his face to be once of amusement and disgust, proving that the girl would only symbolize a good lay for him.

Deciding it was time to get out of the cold, Rory stood up from her spot on the bench and threw out her cup of coffee. As she was moving towards the YDN offices, which coincidentally meant she would walk by him, her phone started ringing to the ever-pleasant "Santa Baby" getting looks from those around her. "North Pole, have you been a good little girl this year?" She answered with a smile.

"Well…" Her mother's voice came through the phone line. "I think I have been, but maybe I should ask Luke."

"Mom!" Rory had been paying attention to her phone call and completely missed the people standing in front of her, causing her to bang into them. "Oh gosh, I'm sorry."

"What?" Lorelai spoke up.

"Not you mom, hold on." Rory looked up, knowing she was blushing. "I really am sorry about that, I wasn't paying attention."

"Don't worry about it love."

"Is that an accent I hear? Are you keeping an exotic man from me?"

Lorelai's voice could be heard through the phone causing the guy to laugh. "Australian actually."

"Did you hear that Mom?"

"Ooo, the land down under! Be friends with him! I want to meet him!" Lorelai was getting as excited as a little girl on her birthday.

"Sure mom, whatever you say." Rory turned her attention away from the phone and back to the group of people. "Once again, I'm really sorry. Have a good afternoon."

"You're leaving?" Lorelai seemed sad.

"You'll recover mom. What's up?"

"Does something need to be up for me to call you?"

"Never said that just was wondering if there was a specific reason for this surprise phone call."

"Oh, in that case, Luke changed the special."

"What?"

"It's been changed."

"To what?"

"French toast."

"Wow."

"I know."

"That's big."

"I know."

"So what is going on with you?" Lorelai was done talking about the new special.

Rory shook her head at her mom's quick change of conversation. "Nothing. You know those people I just banged into?"

"The sexy man from down under?"

"Yes him, and his friends, but I bumped into him."

"He's hot, isn't he? Tell mommy the exotic man is hot."

"Yes, he's hot. You know that you're gross, right?"

"Right."

"But that's not the real point here. The point is the guy was there."

"The guy?"

"You know which one."

"Oh, you mean the mystery man who shows up wherever you are that you refuse to say something to?"

"That would be accurate."

"You should say something to him."

"Why?"

"Well now that you know the exotic one, you have an in to learn about mystery man."

"That seems weird."

"Don't think about that. Just go up to them, introduce yourself."

"You do remember me, right? Your only daughter."

"My only daughter is being very melodramatic."

"It happens."

"Are you coming home this weekend?"

"Yeah, I have some laundry to do."

"I resent that!"

"It's the truth."

"What happened to my sweet little girl?"

"You sent her to college," Rory answered with sass.

"Ah, there's the Rory I know and love. I'll talk to you soon kid."

"I'll talk to you later mom, love you." Rory continued into the YDN, surprised at the uproar the office was in. "Paris? What's going on here?"

"Doyle's going crazy."

"What? Why? Deadlines aren't until tomorrow."

"There are rumors that Mitchum Huntzberger is coming by this afternoon." Paris was busy straightening the things on her always neat and clean desk.

"Really?" Now _that_ was interesting. Rory had been dying to meet Mitchum Huntzberger for years. If there was anyone that could help her launch her career in the newspaper world, it was him. Her grandparents had constantly asked her if she wanted them to arrange a meeting—they knew the Huntzbergers socially—but Rory always refused. If she was going to meet Mitchum Huntzberger she didn't want it to be a favor of the family.

"Why do you seem excited about it? Aren't you nervous?" Paris looked up at Rory like she was crazy for not immediately fixing her desk up.

"Nope." Rory sat down at her desk like it was any other day and began writing her story. She was so caught up in her notes and the words she was trying to put onto paper Rory didn't even notice with the newspaper mogul came into the office, effectively scaring everybody.

"Working on anything good?" The deep male voice shocked Rory and made her jump. She looked up from her computer to see THE Mitchum Huntzberger looking at her with curious eyes and a smirk. A familiar smirk.

"Actually I am." Rory turned back to her computer and finished her thought, all the while talking with the newspaperman. "It's an honor to meet you Mr. Huntzberger, I've heard a lot about you."

"I hope not from my son," Mitchum said with a laugh.

"Your son?" Rory was concentrating on her computer but she knew she had never met the Huntzberger heir.

"Yes, Logan, he writes for the paper…well, that is he _occasionally_ writes for the paper."

Rory missed his smile, but the corners of her own mouth tipped up when she answered him. "Oh right, I've heard of him. Quite a myth in my eyes; not to upset you but in the months I've been here I've never met your son."

"Really?" Now wasn't that interesting… "May I ask your name young lady?" Mitchum looked down at her.

"Oh! I'm sorry, that's so rude of me, my grandmother would have my head! Please don't tell her!" Rory immediately pushed her chair back and stood up; for the first time she realized how tall Mitchum Huntzberger actually was.

"Well, I promise not to tell your grandmother if you'll just tell me who she is." He smiled at her and this time she didn't miss it. It was actually a pleasant smile—something she would not have expected from the rumors she'd heard about the man.

"Right. I'm Rory Gilmore…well Lorelai Gilmore, but no one calls me that. My mom named me after herself, she blames it on the Demerol. She claims it made her think that if men could name sons after themselves women should do the same with their daughter so…Oh! I'm sorry, that was probably more information then you needed to know." Rambling was Rory's curse. Though it occasionally came in handy, whenever she was nervous it made situations extremely awkward.

Mitchum watched the girl fidget and let out a roaring laugh that caught the attention of the entire office. Apparently no one had ever heard the man laugh. "It's perfectly okay, and if you ask me, your mom was perfectly right in her decision—more women should name their daughters after them!" The two shared a smile. "However, it is nice to finally meet you Miss Gilmore."

"Rory please Mr. Huntzberger."

"Then you must call me Mitchum; Mr. Huntzberger makes me feel old. I've heard quite a bit about you from your grandparents."

"I'm sorry, they tend to be long winded and like to talk about me."

His loud laugh filled the office once more. "That's what grandparents are for. Besides, they have only the very best to say about you, which unfortunately isn't always true for the rest of us. My son and his friends like to get into quite a bit of trouble."

"I've heard some stories," Rory admitted.

"I'm sure they're all the truth." This time they were both laughing. "I have read your articles Rory, you're a very talented writer."

"Really?"

"You seem surprised." He was certainly surprised by her response.

"It's just…well…coming from you that means quite a lot."

"And why is that?"

Rory laughed. "You're only the most influential man in the newspaper industry."

"Really? _The most influential_? Wow, I didn't realize that. I'll have to tell Shira when I get home. I'm sure Logan won't be too fond to hear that though."

"Then how about I take over your business and your son just continues to live off of the money and have a good time with his friends? That'll calm him down I bet."

"Or get him really riled up!" Mitchum hadn't stopped laughing since Rory's declaration. "You, Miss Rory Gilmore, are a true gem, just like your grandparents described. Unfortunately though, I have to go or else I'll be late for a meeting. It was a pleasure meeting you."

Rory shook his extended hand. "It was an honor Mitchum, really."

"An honor? Wow, you sound like you really mean that; I don't know the last person who said that and really meant it—or wasn't trying to suck up!" They laughed again. "Next time I come back we'll have to get a cup of coffee, I hear you're addicted."

"Wow, my grandparents really can talk, can't they?"

The familiar smirk crossed his features. "Emily could go on for ages if we'd let her." He laughed when Rory blushed. "Don't worry though, none of us mind, it gives us hope that maybe our children could be 'normal'."

"I wouldn't count on that."

"I'm not, don't worry. I really must be off, it was a pleasure." He smiled at her once more and made his way to the office door, stopping to speak with a nervous and shaking Doyle. "A nice operation you have going on here, keep up the good work."

"Thank you Sir, it was nice of you to stop by." Doyle had extended his hand, but he had barely finished before Mitchum had left the office. "Gilmore! What was that?" Once he had gotten his bearings back, Doyle made a beeline for Rory's desk.

"What are you talking about?" She had started back on her article after Mitchum had left her desk—apparently he had inspired her.

"What was going on between you and Mitchum Huntzberger? Do you know him? You two seemed awfully friendly," Doyle was looking at her with cautious and jealous eyes.

"You're imagining things Doyle," Rory said while rolling her eyes at him. "He was just asking about my article."

"You two were laughing too hard for that to be all. I've never heard that man laugh before." His voice was accusing.

"Relax Doyle! He knows my grandparents, we were just exchanging polite conversation for people who have ties to each other." Saving the file she had been working on, Rory turned off her computer and smiled at her editor. "If you'll excuse me, I have some more work to do."


	2. Cat and Mouse

Chapter 2: Cat and Mouse

**Chapter 2: Cat and Mouse**

He watched her exit the building five minutes after his father and waited two before following her. Unbeknownst to her they had been playing this "cat and mouse" game for four months. The second week into the semester he had noticed her—she was bouncing around in line for coffee and he was with Colin and Finn a little bit behind her. The three of them had a good laugh at her expense—she was obviously a coffee addict. After the chance "encounter" he had been spotting her all over the place. In classes, walking around campus, in the pub, in the parking lot—name the spot and he could usually find her. He even came across her in the library once but she looked so involved in her book that he didn't want to say anything.

But why he didn't want to say anything bothered him. All of his life he had been able to say whatever was on his mind to whomever he was speaking with. He was fearless like that. Whether it was his pressure-inducing father, society-bitch mother or old-fashioned, bitter grandfather, Logan was not afraid to say something. The only one on his side in the entire family was his sister Honor. Why he couldn't say anything to this girl phased him. He knew everything about her—well, maybe that was the reason. If he said anything to her, she would think that he was a stalker. His name wouldn't matter, or at least Logan was betting that his name wouldn't matter. From past experience, his name always made a difference, but there was something about this girl that didn't scream "scheming socialite".

He had noticed her earlier that afternoon, sitting on bench not far from where he and a bunch of his friends were standing. She was finishing a cup of coffee, nothing new since she seemed to always have a cup of coffee in her hand, but then she stood up and threw it out. The girl was getting closer to him; he almost thought she was going to say something when her phone rang. She smiled as she fished it out of her bag and answered, unfortunately she stopped paying attention and banged into Finn. Obviously, the other person on the phone was amused by the "exotic accent" and Logan had been surprised to discover the other person was her mother. She apologized, it was one of the few times that he had heard her voice, and the soft sound calmed him down. It was very strange. Before any of them could really say anything to her, she was apologizing and walking away. Logan split from his friends a few minutes later once he remembered his father was visiting the YDN that afternoon. He had planned to be there so his father wouldn't get all bent out of shape and lecture him but when Logan got to the building he saw her going inside and immediately retracted his entrance, for some reason not wanting to get _that_ close to her.

So instead he sat outside and waited, hiding when his father came out and very interested when a few minutes later she appeared. Logan got up and followed her; curious to know where she was be going. Surprisingly, he ended up following her to the pub, close enough to hear her conversation but far enough so he didn't freak her out.

"Mom! You'll never believe who I just met!"

She was going to say something about his father, wasn't she? Typical. Now he _really_ didn't want to talk to her—if she wasn't after his money she would be after his father's connections.

"Mitchum Huntzberger!" She paused, obviously awaiting an excited answer. "What do you mean who is Mitchum Huntzberger? Come on mom, Mr. Newspaper Mogul himself?" The pause was a bit longer this time. "Right! The one that Grandma and Grandpa have been trying to set up for me to meet. Wait! You don't think Grandpa talked him into coming to the paper as a way to meet me without me knowing, do you? That sounds like Grandma…"

Logan snorted at the idea of his father doing anything just because some couple wanted their granddaughter to succeed. Mitchum Huntzberger wasn't really one to do favors.

"Well I hope you're right about that. You will never believe it!" Her voice was growing in excitement. "He came over to me! I didn't even realize he was there until he said something."

_How could she have missed him? He was a big guy with a loud voice and commanded a lot of attention and respect_.

"I know! He complimented my writing, told me to call him Mitchum and guess what? He actually said next time he was around campus we would have to get a cup of coffee! Can you believe that? Apparently Grandma told him that we have a slight addiction to the drink."

_Slight?_ Logan laughed to himself. He'd been watching her for months and slight was not the proper adjective to use when referring to her coffee drinking habits.

"Actually, he did mention the phantom son—wasn't all that surprised I had never met him. Paris has though, and Doyle is constantly going on about how he never does anything and is only on staff because of his father."

_Well, that's an accurate description of how everyone feels about me, though I did get on the staff on my own…I hope. I was always curious about that; it's hard not to be when your father controls just about every paper in the nation and many of the international versions._

"Well, I'm meeting Marty for dinner, so I have to go."

_Marty? Who's Marty?_

"Yes mom, naked guy…no mom, we're not dating. I don't like him like that."

Logan let out a breath he didn't even know he was holding when she said that.

"Marty does not like me like that! We're just friends, we have a lot in common—that's all."

_I would like to the meet a guy who doesn't instantly think about taking her to bed_. Logan had been thinking about it since he'd first seen her. She wasn't the typical notch on his bedpost, as some would like to call it, but he didn't do serious. That was yet another reason why he had never said anything to her—she wouldn't want to be a friend with benefits, she would want to be a girlfriend. And he definitely couldn't do that.

"Okay, I'll tell Marty that for you. I love you too mom. Thanks! I'm really excited, but don't mention anything to Grandma and Grandpa." She laughed. "Of course, how could I be so silly? I'll talk to you later. Love you too Mom." She hung up the phone and walked into the pub and out of the cold.

Logan decided to wait a few minutes longer before going in, as not to tip her off or anything, and was happy to hear his phone ring, even if it could be his father, so he could get his mind off of her. "Hello?"

"Hey Logan, where are you?"

"Hey Colin, I'm right by the pub, where are you guys?"

"Oh good, we're inside, come on. Finn is talking to that girl who bumped into him earlier. She's here with someone, a guy, and he's turning eight shades of red watching the two of them talk. It's really amusing, you're missing out."

Logan laughed, that was typical Finn—he must have pissed this Marty guy off somehow—assuming that was the guy Colin was speaking about. Logan definitely wanted to see this. "Okay, I'm on my way in now." He hung up the phone and came inside, immediately spotting Colin, Seth and Robert at their usual table. "Where's Steph?" Logan sat down, waiting for the waitress to order his drink.

"Oh, she may not make it, class or a group project or something, she was vague," Colin answered.

Logan followed his friend's eyes to see the picture Colin had described on the phone. The guy was turning red, while the girl was smiling and laughing at whatever crazy thing Finn was saying. Of course, Finn was oblivious to the guy's anger. "Do we need to go save him?"

"I don't know, the other guy looks like a real wimp," Robert considered. "Though he does look familiar…where do we know him from?"

"I don't know," Seth answered. "But there is something about him…wait…wait…I think I know! A bartender!"

"The one with the killer margaritas?" Colin questioned.

"Yeah, that's him!" Seth smiled, they were really good margaritas.

"Well I'm glad we've figured that out. I really do think we have to save Finn, whose turn?" Logan looked around the table.

"Not it!" The other three guys screamed, knowing how difficult it was to stop Finn when he was in full flirt mode, even if it was entirely innocent.

"Fine, fine, I'm going." He was only partly upset over this, it was an excuse to at least find out mystery girls name. "Hey Finn, what's going on over here?" Logan was standing behind Finn to his left, his eyes going from his friend to the table and back to his friend, barely catching the girl's eyes.

"Just talking to my new friend over here, you remember her don't you mate? The one that bumped into me this afternoon?" Finn looked up at him with a grin.

"I really am sorry about that. I was talking to my mother and she distracted me."

"I'm sure that was it love." Finn winked at her. She laughed and the other guy rolled his eyes.

"Well I think it may be time for you to come back to us buddy." Logan tried to be nonchalant about the suggestion.

"Nah mate, things are good here. Aren't they? You don't mind, do you?" Finn looked back and forth between the pair.

"Well actually…" Marty began.

"Great!"

"Oh, wait, Finn, right?" He nodded at her, throwing her a smile. "I am really sorry, this has been extremely entertaining, but Marty and I kinda had some plans and…" She really did look disappointed to have to send him away…interesting.

"Oh, I see doll, sorry about that, didn't realize it was a date." Finn pushed his chair back and started to get up.

"Oh! Well it's not like that…it's just…"

Logan watched as the guy's face fell at her words—he had it for her, bad. "Don't worry about it." He tried to make her feel better. "We really should get back to the rest of the group. Enjoy your dinner." Logan nodded his head and them and pulled Finn away with him.

"What's going on mate?" Finn looked at him curiously. "I was having a good conversation there."

"Did you notice the look on her friend's face?" Logan asked as they reseated themselves with everyone else.

"What are you talking about?"

Colin shook his head, typical Finn. "The guy that she was with, he wasn't happy you were there."

"Really?" Finn turned around and looked at the pair who seemed to now be in a heated discussion. "Oh."

"Yeah."

"But she didn't seem interested…"

"No, she didn't, but he obviously is," Logan pointed out.

"And she's too nice and sweet to say anything."

"Not to mention oblivious," Seth added.

"That too."

"My father was here," Logan said in order to change the subject.

"What?"

"Why?"

"Did you do something?"

"Thanks for the vote of confidence there Robert."

"Anytime Huntz. So what was the big man doing here?"

"Oh, checking up on the YDN."

"Were you actually _there_ for once?"

"No," Logan admitted.

"That never ends well."

"I know."

"What do you think is going to happen?" Finn looked at his friend almost concerned, Mitchum could be a scary guy. Besides, anytime the man railed into Logan, it never ended well for Logan—the guy closed himself off to the world for a few days.

"I think I know," Colin said slowly and in a soft voice.

"What? How would you know something like that?"

"Because he just walked into the pub," Seth filled him in.

Logan paled and turned around to see that his father had in fact walked into the campus pub, moving to the side of the door when a frustrated Marty stormed out leaving the girl upset at the table. Imagine his surprise when Mitchum momentarily forgot about him and moved towards the girl.

"What is your father doing talking to her?" Finn asked.

Logan shrugged. "I have no idea."

"Do they know each other?"

"I have no idea."

"What are they saying?"

"I HAVE NO IDEA!" Logan shouted. They obviously weren't getting the picture.

They watched as Mitchum asked for permission to sit and the girl granted it. He had her laughing a moment later and even ordered them both drinks—not making a move to berate his son at all. What Logan would give to be a fly on that table!

"What do you think they're talking about?"

"Who knows? Maybe he just wanted to be nice since he saw where that guy was storming away from."

"You think?" None of them had ever really seen Mitchum be soft—except possibly with Honor once or twice.

"I've seen him calm down to talk to Honor," Logan admitted.

"Does Honor ever laugh like that?"

"Well, no. Most of the time we're too scared to laugh like that."

"Exactly. I wonder how they know each other…"

"How who knows each other?" Steph sat down at the table with her beer, waiting for an answer from her friends. She didn't for a moment think it was weird that she was the only girl at the table—all of her life she had been the staple female for the group, they treated her like one of them, it was nice.

"My father is sitting at a table over there making some college girl laugh like crazy."

"What?" Steph spun around to follow the eyes of everybody else to see what they had described was actually true. "Wow." She turned back around to take a sip of drink. "Boys! Stop staring!"

"What? Why?" Finn whined. "It's a freak show, no one is ever that relaxed with Mitchum Huntzberger, not even his wife—no offense mate."

"No, no, you're right. My mother is definitely uptight around him."

"Did he say anything to you?"

"Not a word. I saw him on campus briefly, as he was leaving the campus newspaper but I didn't say anything to him, I hid."

"Cause that was a really smart thing to do." Robert's snorted, his voice laced with sarcasm.

"Please. You deal with someone like him your entire life and tell me that you wouldn't hide too."

"You've got a point there."

"Thanks for that."

"Anytime."

"Oh no," Colin muttered under his breath.

"What? What's going on?" Logan had turned to the table, content at no longer watching his father and his mystery girl.

"He's turning our way."

"Really? Does he look angry?"

"No, they…well…they both look really amused."

"What?" Logan made the mistake of turning towards his father and they made eye contact.

"Logan! Come here son!"

Logan groaned. "Do I have to?" He asked everyone at the table.

"It might be the easiest way to get out of it, the man won't berate you in front of a stranger, would he?"

"He hasn't yet, but it all depends on how pissed off he is."

"Logan!" Mitchum's voice rang clear again.

He moved his chair back and stood up, heading towards the loud voice that had been calling him.


	3. Not Easy Being Green

Chapter 3: It's Not Easy Being Green

**Chapter 3: It's Not Easy Being Green **

Rory had laughed when the guy she had banged into came over to her table—Finn his name was—and they started talking. She had only been sitting for a few minutes, having hung up with her mother after telling her what had happened at the newspaper. She had been talking to Finn, oblivious to the anger on Marty's face. Rory was paying so much attention to Finn that she was completely surprised when she heard another voice and looked up to see the mystery man in front of her. She almost fainted. There he was—up close and even more handsome. She smiled at his attempt to get Finn to leave, surprised when he implied that she and Marty were on a date. Rory protested and missed Marty's fallen face. The boys bid them adieu and two minutes later she and Marty were arguing.

"How do you know them?"

"Like I told you, I ran into Finn this afternoon—quite literally. That's all."

"They aren't nice guys."

"What are you talking about? You don't even know them."

"You're wrong, I do know them. I bartend their parties—they are spoiled rich kids."

"Marty, that's not very fair…"

That had been the beginning of the five-minute argument that ended with an angry Marty storming out of the pub. To say Rory had been completely surprised by the outburst was putting it lightly. She sat there silently, once again surprised to hear a booming voice from above.

"Are you okay Rory?"

When she heard the deep voice Rory looked up and her eyes went wide. "Oh, well, yes sir, thank you."

"What did I tell you earlier Rory?" He stared at her, a glimmer in his eyes.

"Sorry, Mitchum. I'm okay."

"Boyfriend?" He asked, referring to the guy who had stormed out just as he entered the pub.

"Oh no, just a friend."

"Who wanted to be more then just a friend?" He hinted.

"I guess so," Rory replied quietly. "Oh, I'm sorry, I'm so rude, would you like to sit down?" She motioned to the chair on the other side of the table.

"Thanks, I wouldn't mind joining you for a moment, and don't worry I won't mention your manners to your grandparents." He winked at her and they shared a smile. "I figure I should give Logan a few minutes before I embarrass him."

They laughed. "Logan's here?" She didn't know which one he was.

"Oh yes," Mitchum said with a nod. "I had forgotten you two have never met. If my calculations are correct, he and his friends are sitting in the back corner on the other side of the room, staring at us with open jaws, trying to figure out how we know each other, what we're saying and how a tyrant like me could be so awful to his son. Logan is the only blonde of the group."

Rory turned her eyes towards the corner he described and saw that Mitchum had painted the perfect picture. When she saw the blonde though, Rory had to work at not dropping her jaw—that was her mystery man. The guy that she had seen everywhere for four months was LOGAN HUNTZBERGER. It was impossible! How could she be following him? Wanting him? Thank god she had never said anything to him…how embarrassing!

"You want to see something funny?" Mitchum had a wicked grin on his face that Rory couldn't resist reciprocating. She liked this man.

"Of course." She knew that Logan wouldn't like whatever his father was going to do, but she was too curious to stop.

"Logan! Come here son!" Mitchum called out, knowing that his son would hear his voice—not to mention the rest of the patrons. It was quiet for a few minutes, Rory saw Logan talking to his friends, obviously having no interest in moving to speak with his father. "Logan!" Mitchum called out again.

A moment later Logan appeared at the table and ignored his father for a minute, turning his attention on her. "So we meet again." He smiled at her. Rory realized that the smile she had recognized in the newsroom on Mitchum was familiar because it was Logan's smile—they had the same smirk as well.

"It seems as if we were destined to." Rory returned his smile and they both laughed a bit.

"Why don't you join us son?" Mitchum pointed to the chair that was next to Rory. "I guess introductions are necessary, seeing as this may be the only female on the entire campus that doesn't know you Logan."

Rory blushed, not particularly liking the tone of Mitchum's voice.

"Rory, this is my son Logan. Logan, this is one of the more talented people on the YDN, Rory Gilmore; well Lorelai Gilmore, but I'll let her tell you that whole story herself." Mitchum winked at Rory and she fell into giggles.

_Giggles? I don't giggle! Logan must be doing something to me—he's sitting too close!_

"I'm sure it's a good one at that." Logan smiled at her. "So, how do you two know each other?"

"I met your father at the YDN today; why haven't I seen you there before?"

"I'm in at random times."

"I guess that's why you know my roommate and not me."

"Your roommate?"

"Yes, Paris Geller."

"She's scary." Logan shuddered.

"Paris does have that affect on people. She's not all that bad once you get to know her."

"I'll take your word on that. What brings you to campus today dad?"

"Just checking in on Doyle as I was asked. Do you like him?" Mitchum asked them both that question.

"Umm…he's…eccentric," Rory answered diplomatically.

"That's putting it nicely." Logan smiled at her. "He's a freak most of the time."

"Better then Paris though."

Logan nodded in agreement.

"Yes, Miss Geller did seem to be a little intense."

"She'll never change," Rory said with a shake of her head.

"You've known her a long time?"

"Oh yes, we were fierce rivals for most of my time at Chilton. We didn't start to become friends until she got me to run as student body vice-president for her."

"You were student body vice president?"

"Senior year," she confirmed. "I didn't really want to be, but saying no to Paris is a difficult task."

"I noticed."

Rory looked up at Mitchum. "She hit you up for an internship or a contact or something, didn't she?" He confirmed her question with a nod. "That's Paris for you. Just ignore her, call her when you're ready. It'll freak her out."

Both men laughed. "You really aren't as sweet as you look, are you?" Logan asked her with a smirk.

"You'd be surprised I'm sure. Everything I know I've learned from my mother."

"Lorelai, correct?"

Rory smiled. "My namesake, that is correct. Have you met her before?"

"When she was younger, I believe Shira baby-sat for your mother when she was younger."

"Interesting. I'll have to ask mom about her, she probably has some good stories about those evenings. My mother can be quite a wild child."

"That doesn't surprise me. I heard she…marched to the beat of her own drummer," he supplied with a grin.

Rory couldn't help but laugh. "That has to be the most diplomatic way anyone has described my mother. She'll be happy to hear that you said that, she's proud of what she's done since leaving Hartford. "

"Yes, I've heard Emily mention an Inn that she runs?"

"Actually, she just opened an inn with her best friend, and chef, Sookie St. James. It's a beautiful place and Sookie makes the most amazing food. I couldn't get you to write something up about them for one of your papers, could I?" Rory winked and gave him her doe eyes and innocent little smile.

"That's not fair!" Mitchum looked at her accusingly. "Though I must say it is interesting that you want to use your acquaintance with me to further your mother and not yourself."

"With all due respect Mr. Huntzberger," Rory sounded more like her grandmother and less like the college student he had been speaking to a moment ago, "if you offer me any kind of position I want it to be because you like my writing—I do not want it to be because I asked you. Because I will never ask you for a job;I will, however, ask you to write something amazing about The Dragonfly Inn and print it in whatever media you can across the country…internationally too if you think you could pull that off."

"You don't ask for much, do you?" Mitchum was laughing at her while Logan sat back in awe. Somehow or other, Rory Gilmore had wrapped his tough, no-funny-business father around her finger.

"Not really. In addition, this conversation should not be conveyed to my mother or my grandparents. If my mother asks, all I did was mention that she opened a new inn, you decided to research and write something about it yourself."

"Oh really? Am I writing this piece as well?"

"You would do that?" Rory asked, definitely shocked. She didn't know that Mitchum still wrote.

He laughed. "Well, I never said that."

"You just asked."

"That doesn't mean I was going to do it."

"Oh. Okay. As long as you get it done and it's one of your better writers, then it'll be okay."

"Thanks for your go-ahead." He grinned. "Are you implying that not all of my writers are good?"

"It's the truth," Rory said with a shrug. "You can't hand pick each and every one of them."

"Which ones don't you like?" He leaned forward ready to listen to her.

"Do I need to be here for this conversation?" Logan put in, smiling at the waitress who put down his beer and two coffees.

"Yes!" Mitchum looked at him. "You're not getting out of this. I still want to know why you weren't at the paper if you knew I was going to be there. And when exactly are _you_ going to get something published? Rory here has something in every issue; substantial stuff too. Why don't you?"

"Doyle doesn't like me?" Logan responded somewhat coy.

"Don't start that again!" Mitchum warned.

Rory watched the interaction between them and immediately understood what Logan had against his father. "In all fairness Mitchum, Doyle really does have it out for him."

"Really?"

Logan gave Rory a relieved look.

"Really. He's always going off on a tangent saying that Logan wouldn't even be on staff if it weren't for you."

"Well that's a crock."

"I know that, you know that and hopefully Logan knows that," Rory looked at him and smiled, "but sadly, Doyle doesn't like to think that anyone is better then he is. And let's not forget, he's terrified of you, therefore terrified of Logan."

Mitchum smiled at that thought. "He honestly thinks that me liking him would be a result of him disliking my son?"

"Well if your son ever showed up to the newspaper to do something other then sleep, it might help as well."

Logan sent her a look quite different from the last one. He thought Rory had seen through his father and was on his side…maybe not. "Yeah, well, what can I say, the chair is really comfortable."

Mitchum laughed. "That's the spirit son. Maybe you'll just have to work when Rory does, she'll motivate you." He looked down at his watch in surprise. "Your mother is going to kill me, I'm running late. It was nice to see you again Rory." He smiled at her as he stood up. "And Logan, why don't you write _something_ before the end of the semester? Rory can help you if you need it." Mitchum shook Logan's hand and walked out of the pub.

"How in the hell did you do it?"

"Do what?" Rory looked at him confused.

"Wrap my father around your finger."

"What are you talking about?" Without knowing what came over her, Rory picked up Logan's beer and took a sip, making a face. "How can you drink that?" She took a sip of her coffee.

"You get used to it," Logan said with a shrug. "Don't change the subject, you know that my father loves you and he's only known you a few hours. He's going to get his best writer, if not himself, to write about your mom's inn."

"He would do it himself?" Rory was still shocked about that idea.

"With the doe eyes you gave him it wouldn't surprise me."

"You two liked that, did you?" Rory moved her eyes in the same manner and Logan just laughed at her.

"They're lethal around anyone of the opposite sex you know; you could get whatever you want with those eyes."

"I'll keep that in mind." Rory smiled at him.

"Why don't you come sit with my friends and me?"

"What?"

"I know that you're not hard of hearing, but I'll repeat myself anyway. Why don't you come sit with us? You don't look ready to leave yet and I'm sure they won't believe me when I tell them about you and my father."

"You make it sound so dirty."

"Well…"

"Logan! That's awful!" She slapped his arm playfully and they were both laughing with grins on their face.

"What can I say? It's just the kind of person I am."

"Well, I don't know what your father has said to make you think that, but it's not true. By the way, don't listen to Doyle either. He's just jealous that you have more talent then he does and your father is your father."

"I can't help genetics." Logan shrugged, his voice sounding like he wished he could.

"Doesn't matter, just ignore him. It's not easy being green." She joked with him but he apparently didn't get it. "You know, Kermit the Frog?" She tried to prod him. "Hi-Ho-Kermit the Frog here? Green with envy? Kermit the Frog is green, says 'it's not easy being green'…anything?" She shook her head. "You've been living a sheltered life Logan Huntzberger."

"I have, have I?" Logan was teasing her. He understood her reference but it was fun to see her shocked and overwhelmed.

"You're horrible!"

"Thank you." He smiled and stood up. "Now come on, let's go." He grabbed her hand and pulled her up as well, leading her over to his friends who were all looking at him curiously.


	4. Old Habits Die Hard

Chapter 4: Old Habits Die Hard

**Chapter 4: Old Habits Die Hard**

"You have to tell us."

"Tell you what?" Rory looked around the table wondering what this guy was talking about. He had been with Logan and Finn earlier when she had banged into Finn but she still didn't know his name.

"How you made Mitchum Huntzberger laugh." A pretty blonde, the only other girl at the table, filled her in.

"He doesn't laugh a lot?" Rory looked over at Logan when she asked that question.

"I can honestly say you're one of the few women, and men, that didn't cower in his presence."

"Cowering won't get you anywhere," Rory said bluntly.

"Good rule of thumb love." Finn smiled at her. "I think introductions are due," he added.

"Maybe I should handle that seeing as you tend to mix everyone up when you're drinking," Logan interrupted.

"I do not!"

Finn was ignored and Logan began introducing her to the table. "Rory Gilmore I'd like to introduce you to Stephanie Vanderbilt, Colin McCrae, Robert Grimaldi, Seth Astor and you know Finn. Everyone this is Rory Gilmore, credited as the one woman not afraid of my father."

"He's not a bad guy, we had a lovely conversation."

"Lovely? Mitchum?" The rest of the table joined in on Colin's laughter.

"In 20 years I've never heard anyone use lovely and my father's name in the same sentence," Logan told her with a grin.

"There's a first time for everything," Rory replied with a shrug. "He was very nice to me, hopefully not just because he knows my grandparents." The last part was said mainly to herself and when Rory looked around the table she noticed Logan's watch and was surprised. "Oh wow, it's later then I thought, I have to go. It was nice meeting you all." She pushed her chair away from the table and quickly moved off to her next destination.

"You're not going after her?" Seth asked when Logan didn't move.

"Should I?"

"You're going to let her walk wherever she's going alone? It's kinda dark out."

"Just think of what Mitchum would say if he ever found out," Finn teased him.

"Okay, okay, I'm going." Though Logan made it seem like a big chore, he was happy to go make sure that Rory got to her next destination safely. He was intrigued by her. "Rory! Hey Rory! Hold up a second!" Logan called after her when he saw she was halfway down the street.

"Logan, wow." Rory looked over at him, obviously surprised by his presence. "Did I leave something?"

"Nope. Just thought I'd escort you wherever you're going."

"I think I can make it back to my room in one piece, but thanks Logan." She smiled at him and began walking again.

"Well come on now, that wouldn't be very gentlemanly of me, now would it?" Logan smirked at her and continued walking along her side.

"So you follow the Miss Manners rule book?" She asked him trying to make polite conversation.

"My mother tried to burn it into my brain. I need to be a suitable husband," Logan mimicked in her voice.

"Well then I feel very sorry for you. I met those girls at my coming out party and I couldn't imagine being happily married to one."

"You're coming out party?" Logan looked at her strangely, she definitely didn't seem like a debutante.

"Yes, my grandmother wanted me to so I did. It made her look good in the eyes of the DAR."

"Oh yes the DAR." Logan made a face and Rory grinned.

"Well, this is me," Rory announced when they stopped.

"Oh well, have a good night Rory, it was nice to meet you."

"You too Logan; now I can finally put a face to the name when Paris starts ranting and Doyle turns red." Logan laughed. "Thanks for walking me back."

"Anytime Rory, anytime."

**GGGGGGGGG**

Now that they knew each other things were awkward. Rory still saw him everywhere she went but now she was wondering if he saw her. And if he did see her why didn't he say anything to her? Why didn't she say anything to him? Why didn't they break the pattern of watching from a distance?

At the moment Rory was watching him from across the dining hall. She was sitting at a table reading and drinking coffee and could hear him and his friends over her music. She was watching him out of the corner of her eye—there was no way he could know.

Deciding she couldn't sit there any longer, Rory gathered all of her things and headed for the library. It would be peaceful there. And it was. Rory found her corner, curled up in the chair and engrossed herself in her book. She looked up over an hour later and would have screamed if his hand hadn't covered her mouth. "You okay?" He asked, not wanting to remove his hand unless she was.

Rory nodded, grateful when his hand left her face. Even that brief contact sent shivers down her spine. "What are you doing here?"

"Well the obvious reason would be for a book."

"Smart alec. We both know that's not why you're here."

"Really?" He raised his brows and smirked.

"How long have you been sitting there?"

"Twenty minutes maybe." Logan shrugged, not knowing how long he had been watching her and not caring. Truth be told he had been sitting there for almost an hour. Logan had seen her in the dining hall and debated whether or not to say something. His internal debate ended as he watched Rory gather her things and leave. A minute or so later Logan excused himself from his friends and caught up with her, careful to stay far enough away so she wouldn't notice him. Once Logan figured out she was headed to the library he slowed down; over the past few months he had memorized her favorite spot in the entire library to sit and read. She could read or write her article in complete silence. Very few people were ever in the area she chose.

Rory was embarrassed. She couldn't believe that Logan had been sitting there for twenty minutes and she hadn't noticed. "Sorry about that, it's a good book."

"Don't worry about it. How've you been?" Logan tried to make conversation, wondering if it would go anywhere.

"Okay, school's been keeping me busy."

"Yes, it does have a tendency to take over ones life."

"That is does," Rory agreed.

"Have you seen my father lately?"

Rory laughed at his question. "I would think you would see Mitchum more than I do."

"Actually, I try and stay away from him. The further the better."

"Oh. That's a shame."

"What?" Logan was laughing, rarely was he told that avoiding his father was a shame.

"He really does seem like a very nice man. I don't know why you are so against him."

"Trust me, you haven't met the real Mitchum Huntzberger."

"If you say so."

"What are you doing tonight?"

"Excuse me?" Rory looked at Logan as if he had two heads.

"Tonight, what are you doing?" He smirked at her.

"Um, just a little studying, maybe start researching my article for the paper."

"Come out with me."

"What?"

"Are you having a problem hearing me tonight Ace?"

"Ace?"

"Now you're going to repeat everything I say?"

Rory stared at him. "Logan, the circles are making me dizzy, explain yourself please."

His smirk reappeared before he clarified his words for her. "I asked you if you wanted to come out with me tonight, then I referred to you as Ace, as in Ace reporter."

"What do you know about my writing abilities?"

"Contrary to certain people's beliefs, I can actually read the newspaper and I do every now and then."

"Oh, right."

"You write some really good stuff."

"Thank you."

"So?"

"So what?"

"Are you in for tonight?"

"I don't know Logan, I have a lot of stuff that I should…"

"Come on Ace, it'll be fun. The whole gang's going."

"Are we going to be out late?" It may be Thursday night but Rory had class tomorrow.

"Who knows? Anything is possible when you're out with Finn."

"I don't know, I have class tomorrow."

"Oh come on Ace, live a little."

She stared at him for a few minutes, contemplating exactly what it would mean to go out with Logan Huntzberger and his "posse". It took awhile but Rory figured this was her chance. She had been watching him since August and now they were friends, weren't they? She had wanted to say something from the first time she'd seen him, but was too afraid. They seemed to have some kind of chemistry between them, the banter seemed to be easily exchanged. Shaking her head in disbelief of what she was going to say Rory smiled at him. "Sure. Why not?"

"That's the spirit Ace!" Logan threw her a smile and stood up.

"What time?"

"We'll do dinner first, eight o'clock alright?"

"Whatever," Rory answered with a shrug.

"Wear something sexy." Logan smirked at her before taking his grand exit.

**GGGGGGGGGGG**

"Where are you going again?"

"Out."

"Yes, well, I did pick that up. Where?"

"Dinner."

"Who with?" Paris raised her eyebrows at her roommate as she stood in the doorway of Rory's room.

"Friends."

"Why do I feel like I'm pulling teeth here Gilmore?" Paris was practically growling.

Rory flashed her roommate a smile. "Because I have such a good time riling you up." At that moment there was a knock on the door. "Oh! Look at that. I best be going. I'll see you later Paris." Rory pushed past Paris and grabbed her keys from the hook by the door, opening it ever so slightly so Paris could not see who was there. "Come on, let's go!" Rory took Logan's hand and pulled him as quickly as possible out of the dorm and the opposite direction of her room.

"What was that all about Ace?" When Rory finally stopped pulling him, seemingly trying to catch her breath, he started asking questions.

"It was either that or face the wrath of Paris."

"Geller?"

"The one and only. My roommate."

"Right. Well, thanks then."

"You're welcome." Rory smiled at him. "Besides, it's fun to see her riled up. I didn't tell her who I was going out with tonight."

"Why not?"

"Like I said, it's more fun this way. And there is the pesky fact that I had no interest in getting a lecture before going out."

"A lecture?"

"Paris isn't your number one fan."

"No surprise there."

"So, where are we going?"

"Oh, everyone is waiting. Come on." This time when Logan took her hand he didn't pull her along. Deciding not to risk walking by her room again, Logan took the long way back to the meeting point they had decided on.

"Reporter Girl! Good to see you again!" Finn's voice rang out the closer Rory and Logan got to them.

"It's good to see you too Finn. Is it possible for any of you to actually use my name though?"

"Sorry Reporter Girl." Colin spoke up and put an apologetic smile on his face. "That's not going to happen. Besides, Logan started it!"

"How old are you guys again?" Rory laughed at Colin's antics. She was surprised by him, thinking that he was the serious one of the group.

"20 going on 6," Stephanie spoke up. "It's nice to have another girl around."

"Glad I could help you even things out."

"Now that the pleasantries are out of the way, could we please leave?" Logan looked around at everyone. For some reason standing around with his friends harping on Rory worried him. Mainly because he knew the nice comments would lead up to an interrogation. Rory should at least be somewhat comfortable before being interrogated by this group.

"Aren't there two of you missing?" Rory questioned as they began walking.

"Oh, Seth and Robert are meeting us there." Colin told her.

"Yes, with Julia and Rosemary." Finn had an evil looking grin on his face.

"Dirty!" Rory commented before she could stop herself. She turned bright red knowing that her mother would be proud and those around her were surprised.

The four friends looked at each other, somewhat shocked that Rory would make that kind of comment. She didn't really even know Finn. It only took a second before they were all laughing. Logan threw an arm around her shoulders and tried to reassure her when he saw how red she was. "You're going to fit in just fine with us Ace, just fine."

Rory didn't know how she should really feel about Logan's comment so she said nothing. It wasn't a particularly chilly night out but once he put his arm around her, she moved towards his warmth. The feeling she was beginning to associate with him started to spread through her body and Rory could do nothing but smile. She would worry about its meaning and how to stop it later. For right now she was going to enjoy it and make some new friends.


	5. Outside Looking In

Chapter 5: Outside Looking In

**Chapter 5: Outside Looking In**

_Watching them is certainly different from being with them_ Rory thought to herself as they waited for dinner to come out of the kitchen. Rory had watched this group for so long that she wasn't surprised by many of the "crazy" things that they did. The amount of noise they made, the attention they got from the servers, and the abnormal consumption of alcohol were all expected. But as she sat in between Logan and Finn, Rory began to dissect them one by one. Logan she practically knew by heart, though Rory was sure there were layers of him no one had ever seen, but the others were mysteries. Twenty minutes into dinner she already knew the psychological "issues" they carried. It was clear even though it was hidden. Rory was not a psychology major, but she had a lot of experience reading people. It was a natural talent when you were a hermit like she was. She had spent so much time lost in her world of books, having been an only child with no one to compete with, and at times being overshadowed by her crazy, lovable, outrageous mother, that Rory learned to read people instead of interact with them. Most of the time she didn't share her opinions with others, but mentally patted her back when she found out that she was right.

The one thing that Rory immediately noticed was that their constant smiles and laughs were an act. Defenses went down slightly when they were together because everyone came from the same situation, but truths were still not spoken. Rory could dissect the group into who was lonely, who was unhappy, who was scared, who was insecure, who had no self-esteem, who felt rejected, who was mistrustful and who was in need of simple reassurance. Her eyes traveled around the table not caring that everyone was involved in a discussion and she was watching, but as her thoughts traveled she unconsciously reached for Logan's hand under the table. It was an instinct based on all the time she had spent studying him. He took her hand, though she felt the slight flinch of his body at the unexpected touch, and laced their fingers together, never stopping his conversation. No one knew about the hold they had on each other. It wasn't important.

"So love, you need to tell me more about yourself." Finn had turned away from Rosemary and towards Rory. Rosemary was now looking at her as well.

"What do you want to know Finn?"

"Where are you from?"

"Come on Finn, she's from Hartford," Robert said like it was obvious.

"I'm not actually," Rory corrected him. "I'm from a little town a half hour or so from Hartford called Stars Hollow."

"What's it like?"

"Can you picture a stereotypical small town?" She asked with a smile. People always enjoyed this particular explanation. When she saw them all nod Rory continued. "Well take that picture, with all the characters, and then add about six people who you honestly believe should be taken away by the nice men in white coats. That's Stars Hollow."

The eight people around the table laughed at the picture she painted. "Quite a group of characters then?" Colin asked her.

"That's one way to put it," Rory agreed.

"Where did you go to school?" Julia wanted to know. It was especially interesting to her since Rory got into Yale after attending a small town school. She was wondering if Rory was actually that smart or got in for some kind of quota reason.

"I graduated from Chilton Academy actually." Rory hadn't liked Julia's tone; she knew the other girl thought she was a quota case or something.

"Why Yale?" Stephanie asked.

"It had the best pro list."

"What?" Logan looked at her like she was crazy.

"It's how I make all the important decisions in my life. Yale had the best pro list."

"Who were the other contenders?"

"Princeton and Harvard."

"Wow." They stared at her in awe; she was really a smart girl.

"I bet it was a help having legacy at Yale though," Rosemary pointed out.

"It may have been," Rory said with a shrug. "I certainly didn't have the best interview with the dean of admissions. Whether or not he was a friend of my grandfather's he couldn't have been that impressed with me."

"That's ridiculous," Logan told her, squeezing her hand under the table.

Rory shook her head. "I'm serious. It was a disaster; I was completely taken off guard by my grandfather and when the dean asked who my role model was I told him Gloria Estefan."

They were all laughing again. "You stood out then," Stephanie reassured her.

"Alright, so you're smart and you grew up in a small little town. What else can you tell us about yourself?"

"I don't know." Rory gave Finn a strange look. "What do you want to know?"

"How many ex-boyfriends?" Robert asked.

"Two."

"Current boyfriend?"

"Nope."

"Favorite color."

"Pink maybe.'

"Maybe?" That was Stephanie; the girl loved pink.

"Favorite band?"

"Hep Alien."

"Excuse me?" Colin, music connoisseur, especially when it came to the underground music had never heard of them.

"Hep Alien. Remind me another day and I'll get the demo CD for you. You should catch them in concert. They're great."

"New band? Local?"

"Yup."

"Favorite movie?"

"That's an unfair question!" Rory pouted at Seth.

"Why?" He looked at her like she was nuts.

"I can't just pick _one_ favorite movie. That's unfair to the movies."

"What?"

"You can't just pick one, the others will feel left out." They stared at her. She knew exactly what they were thinking, _definitely lost her marbles_. Rory laughed at their expressions. "Let's see…_Willa Wonka, Breakfast at Tiffany's, Pippi Longstocking_…"

"Excuse me? Did you just say Pippi Longstocking?" Logan looked at her with wide eyes.

"Yes, have you heard of it?" Rory moved her body slightly so she could look into his eyes. "Wow, you really haven't heard of it. You are such a deprived child. Really. I can't believe it. I feel so bad for you."

"You are one strange girl," Julia commented.

"Thank you." Rory blushed slightly.

"Favorite book."

"Another unfair question. It would take too long for me to answer, so I won't bore you to death."

"You like to read huh?"

"Yes Robert, I like to read," Rory said in a flat tone.

The questions would have continued but dinner arrived. Regretfully Logan and Rory let go of each other and dug into the food in front of them.

"I can't believe you can eat that much and look like that," Stephanie commented an hour later. "It's not fair!" She whined as she studied Rory. "What's your trick?"

Rory shrugged. "I have good genes. Along with her love of junk food, constant pop-culture trivia and caffeine addiction my mom passed along her fast metabolism."

"I want to meet her," Finn remarked.

"She would love you," Rory told him with a laugh. "Mom loves all things exotic."

"Way to go Ace, boost his ego," Logan whispered into her ear.

Rory shrugged and sat back as she listened to everyone begin their conversations once again, sitting back to enjoy the murmur of all of their voices. This time, instead of Logan taking her hand, his hand began playing with her hair. It was a gesture she didn't even pick up until she saw Stephanie and Julia talking about something and looking her way. She didn't like the look on Julia's face but thought nothing of it. There was nothing going on between her and Logan; this was only the second real conversation that they'd had—they barely knew each other!

"More wine?" Finn lifted the bottle and looked at Rory. She shrugged her indifference. "That's the spirit!" Rory smiled at his antics and sat back in her chair. They were truly a fascinating group. _The question is, would you rather be on the outside looking in or the inside looking out? Neither sounds appealing, because the grass is always greener on the other side. It looks like so much fun from the outside, and from the inside too, but the inside allows you to see something you'd never see in front of the public_. Rory put away her thoughts when Logan started to speak to her.

"So Ace, you up for a little bit more craziness?"

Rory turned Logan's left wrist around so she could read his watch and let out a breath. It was almost 10:30. She was never going to get any work done at this rate and maybe, just maybe, she'd skip class tomorrow, live on the wild side. "Why not?"

"Really?" Logan raised his eyebrows at her and Rory smiled at him in return.

"At least you're giving me a warning, my mom usually just pulls me into the situation."

"I'll remember that for next time Ace." Logan winked at her and then pushed his own chair out before helping Rory with hers. She thanked him with a smile as he helped her with her coat and then followed the others outside.

"So? What now?" She asked the group at large.

"We were originally planning to be normal, _for once_, and see a movie, BUT Finn here can't let that happen."

"I'm sorry mate, that's just a mundane activity for us on a Thursday night. With Reporter Girl joining us I thought we should show her a really good time." Finn winked at Rory and threw an arm around her shoulders.

"A movie on a school night Finn, I have to tell you, that's crazy for me!" Rory looked up at him with the most convincing serious look she could muster.

Finn almost stumbled back with shock. "Please tell me that you're joking! You have to be joking!" He watched her straight face as the others looked on unsure if she was really joking or not—Rory did seem a little bookish. "You can't think that going to the movies during the week is being crazy, I thought you said you lived in a town full of people that needed to be in straight jackets love?"

Rory couldn't hold her laughter in any longer. She was watching Finn turn purple at thought of excitement in her life being going to the movies during the week. He looked as if he was going to explode, or possibly implode, so she left the loud cackles of glee sound out, getting everyone to look at her. They started to laugh along, getting the joke and Finn stared at her until it finally clicked.

"Why you little… that's right, you better run little girl!" Finn had noticed Rory moving farther and farther away from him and the rest of the group. With a wide grin on his face, he set off after her, laughing the entire way as she raced up the street in hopes to stay away from him. Being that Rory stayed away from all activities that required any kind of physical exertion, Finn easily caught up with her. And when he did, he showed no mercy. Finn's hands attacked her sides, launching a full tickle attack that had her screaming and gasping for breath as much as the joke had. "You little minx!" Finn played with her. Rory was hanging onto his arm as he was tickling her, trying to get his hands to stop.

"Are you children done?" Rosemary asked with a small roll of her eyes when the others finally caught up to them.

"I don't know, Gilmore here seems to think she's funny…" Finn smirked at Rory and continued to tickle her.

"Come…on…Finn…" Rory got the words out in-between breaths. "I'm…sorry…please stop…I didn't mean it…" Rory was trying to catch her breath to say something more, but it wasn't working. She did notice that Logan was standing close to them and decided on another route. "Help?" She said with a small smile.

"Don't give him those puppy-dog eyes, Huntzberger can't help you now!" Finn had stopped tickling her but had thrown her over his shoulder.

"Finn! Come on! Put me down! Where are we going?"

Finn laughed as he carried her to the car, putting her down and buckling her into the passenger's seat. "Stay!" He ordered and smirked at her.

Rory glared at Finn, which he missed because by then he had turned around to talk to the others. Eventually they piled into the two cars and headed off. She would have asked where they were going but it would have been useless. She was quietly listening to them speak when her cell phone rang and Rory smiled, dancing slightly to the familiar tune. "Rory's house for the terminally insane, how may I help you?"

Lorelai laughed at her daughter's greeting. "Yes, I need a few of your best guys to come by with two nice little white coats. There are some crazies living near me."

"Have you filed a police report ma'am?"

"Of course! Do you think I'm stupid?"

"No, of course not, just crazy!" Rory's façade broke, as did her mother's, and they were both laughing.

"Are you visiting _another_ institution kid? What did I tell you about that?

"It isn't my fault! I was kidnapped! Held at gunpoint! Carried away like a sack of potatoes!" Rory was playing the game perfectly with her mom.

"What? Who do I need to call? The FBI? The CIA? The State Department? Hell! I'll just call old Dubya himself and find you!"

"Don't do that! It won't work! Have we learned nothing from current events?" How Rory managed to get the words out she would never know, she was having trouble breathing through all the laughter.

"I just have one more question, how can the nice men have kidnapped you if I asked them to pick you up?" Lorelai asked.

Rory burst out in laughter again and it took her a minute or two to calm down. "Okay, really, we have to stop. I can't do it anymore. I'm going to loose my voice."

"You're mean!" Lorelai pouted across the phone lines. "Who's kidnapped you? Is he cute? It is a boy, isn't it? I would hate to think that you couldn't overpower some silly Yale girl."

"I've been kidnapped by society."

"No! Not you! Don't give in! Abort! Abort!"

Rory began laughing again. "No fair!" She managed to get the two words out. "It's okay though."

"What kind of people associated with society are okay my darling daughter?"

"The ones who kidnap me for dinner and then force me out for an evening that doesn't revolve around school or movies."

"What? No movies?"

"Apparently my adventurous nature of going to a movie theater on a school night didn't settle well with Finn."

"Finn? I don't know a Finn? What's a Finn?"

"You do know him…well, kind of…and I'm not too sure _what_ he is, but he _is_ from Australia."

"Oh! The exotic one with the accent!"

Finn could hear Lorelai's comments from his place and laughed. "That's right kitten," he called out.

"I want to meet him!"

"We can certainly arrange that," Finn answered her.

"Finn! That's my mother!" Rory hit him.

"Hey!"

"Don't start, you kidnapped me!"

"You're okay though?" Lorelai asked her daughter seriously.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just experiencing a different side of Yale. Though I think it's more your speed then mine."

"Oh, an adventure. Haven't I taught you anything young grasshopper?"

"I only know of movies, junk food, pop-culture, and clothes."

"The rest will come with time."

"And Finn's influence?" Rory added in there.

"Yeah, that sounds like it may help out a bit."

"I'll remember that. So, is there anything I can do for you?"

"Can't a mother call to hear her own daughter's voice? I've been going through Rory withdrawal. You're not here to talk to all of the time. No one wakes me up in the morning!" Lorelai complained.

"You haven't gotten used to that in the four months I've been away form home?"

"No!"

"Sorry. Was there a _real_ reason?"

"Ugh! I'm hurt! Crushed!"

"Stop being so melodramatic Lorelai," Rory said in her best Emily voice.

"Oh! Don't do that again! Erase that from your powers! Now!"

"Mom!"

"Right…right…Grandma did call me though."

"Really? For what?"

"To confirm dinner."

"And you're calling to tell me this why?"

"Well, it's not _exactly _dinner."

"Then what _exactly_ is it?"

"A party."

"Mom." Rory whined not having any interest in going to a party hosted by her grandmother. It always ended up with her being paraded around.

"Sorry kiddo, there was nothing I can do."

"What's the party for?"

"Mom had nothing better to do and was driving Dad crazy so he told her to throw a party?"

"Is that the truth or the Lorelai Gilmore version?"

"You know me so well child."

"It's a gift."

"A reason? Is there one?"

"Who knows? Probably because you finished your first semester."

"Mom!"

"Okay, okay, I think it's for the business."

"So Scooper's going to be there?"

"Scooper?"

"Grandpa's partner?"

"Oh, you mean _Digger_?"

"Oh, right, Digger." Rory laughed at her mistake.

"Yeah, he'll be there."

"That shouldn't be awkward at all."

"I'm sure it won't be."

"Anything else?"

"Do you have a dress?"

"I'm sure I have _something _appropriate. I'm even more sure that if I show up and Grandma doesn't like what I'm wearing she'll have _something _for me to choose from upstairs."

"True."

"There's something more," Rory trailed off. Her mother was being a little bit too quiet.

"You need to bring a date."

"Excuse me?"

"Mom specifically asked for you to bring a date."

"Why?"

"Who knows? To make a good impression on the clients or something."

"She's weird."

"Is that something new?'

"Not really."

"Um love, you planning on ending that call with your gorgeous mum anytime soon?"

"Oh, the Australian, I want to talk to him."

"No! Sorry Finn, I'm getting off." Rory noticed for the first time that the car was stopped. "I do have to go mom."

"Don't forget what I said!"

"I won't. Love you."

"Love you too." Rory hung up the phone and looked at Finn. "Sorry about that, my mom tends to get carried away—and she takes me with her."

"So I noticed."

"Where's everyone else?" Rory asked him while noticing for the first time that they were the only two left in the car.

"They went inside."

"Oh wow! Where are we?"

"A club."

"Really?"

"You've never been to one?"

"We weren't big on clubbing in Stars Hollow."

"Well in that case, come on love, I've got a beautiful new world to show you." Finn opened her car door and helped her out, offering his arm as he led them towards the entrance.


	6. Out Tonight

Chapter 6: Out Tonight

**Chapter 6: Out Tonight**

"Everyone's over there." Finn pointed to the others once he and Rory had gotten through the door. He led them towards the table. "We made it!"

"Everything okay?" Robert asked. "It took you guys a while."

"Sorry, my mom tends to rant."

"That's what happens when you tell her you've been kidnapped."

"Well I was!"

"You agreed to come out with us tonight."

"So? You put me in the car against my will."

"What does everyone want to drink?" Colin ended the quasi-argument between Rory and Finn.

"What do you think?" Stephanie asked Rory when she sat down between her and Julia.

"Of what?"

"The club of course."

"Oh. Well. It's fine."

"Fine? What kind of description is that?" Julia asked. Obviously the girl was not a fan of Rory.

"The one that I used?" Rory answered in a snotty tone.

"Well then, way to be descriptive. You sure sound like a journalist."

Rory rolled her eyes at the girl. It was meeting Paris all over again. Only this time Rory didn't know if Julia was her equal in the classroom.

"Let's dance." Seth pulled Julia up without waiting for an answer.

"She doesn't like me very much." Rory turned to Stephanie and spoke in a low tone.

"Julia doesn't like anyone who gets in the way of her and Logan," Rosemary told her.

"Excuse me?"

"Julia's wanted Logan since we were juniors in high school."

"But?"

"Logan doesn't want to date her; he realizes how crazy she can be."

"Well if she's known him that long then shouldn't she get the idea and move on?"

"She only moves on to try and make him jealous." Stephanie informed her.

"I take it that it hasn't worked?" Rory asked.

"Not exactly. Logan could care less. He's not interested."

"Doesn't surprise me," Rory said. "Oh my, did I say that out loud?" A small smile crossed her face.

Stephanie and Rosemary laughed. "You've pinned her down perfectly."

"Thank you. I'm an excellent judge of character." Rory smiled at them. "So let me ask another question."

"Shoot."

"Why are you all putting up with her if you can't stand her? Unless I'm misunderstanding you."

"Oh no, you understand perfectly," Rosemary assured her.

"We can't get rid of her, our families go way back."

"Is that the case?"

"Oh yes. She would never go away."

"What about when Logan finally gets married?"

The girls laughed. "She's still hoping that their parents are all plotting an arranged marriage between them. Their mother's have been good friends since childhood."

"Ah. Well, best of luck to her."

"She's going to need it if you're around."

"Excuse me?"

"Come on Rory, take a look at the situation. Logan is totally taken by you."

"You're crazy."

"Well that's nothing new," Colin interrupted their conversation and placed their drinks on the table.

"Thanks a lot Colin!" Steph hit his arm.

"Anytime." Colin gave her a goofy grin.

"Colin my good man! It's about time you made it back!" Finn smiled at his friend and Colin just laughed.

"Sorry, there was a cute girl at the bar."

"A redhead?"

"Nope."

"Okay then." Finn nodded his head and went back to his conversation, which Colin joined.

"Is there something going on between you and Colin?" Rory asked Stephanie once he was out of earshot.

"So you noticed it too?" Rosemary said with a smile.

"There is nothing going on!" Stephanie insisted in loud whisper.

"Really?" Rory raised her eyebrows in disbelief.

"Yes! There is nothing going on."

Rory looked at Rosemary effectively ignoring Stephanie. "So she's in denial?"

"So is he."

Rory nodded her head in understanding and took a sip of her drink.

"Enough about me, what's going on with you and Logan?"

"I barely know him."

"Right. So what's going on with you two?"

"Nothing."

"Right. Cause I believe that." Rosemary laughed at Rory.

"Hey Ace, wanna dance?"

Rosemary and Stephanie both gave Rory a pointed look, which she then returned with a glare.

"Sure." Rory stood with a smile, placing her hand in his outstretched one.

Logan pulled her onto the dance floor as the music turned a bit slower. He pulled her into his arms with a smile.

"Did you plan that?" She looked up at him skeptically.

"Oh, I have magical powers now, do I?"

"I don't know. You are a Huntzberger after all. And rumors have it that you think awfully highly of yourselves."

"Interesting rumors you hear there, Ace."

"I thought so."

"You've been talking to my father again?"

"Again? We really don't speak that often." She hadn't spoken to him since that day at the paper. "Has he said anything about me?"

"Do you really think I talk to my father when I don't have to?" He smirked at her.

"Why wouldn't you? He seems like a nice enough man."

"Of course he does. He always seems like a great man when he's not trying to run your life.'

"He can't really be trying to run your life."

"Come on Ace, you have to know something about society. You are a Gilmore."

"So? My mom took me away from people like you."

"People like me? Wow, that hurts." Logan tried to cover up his annoyance with a smirk but wasn't sure if it was actually working.

"Sorry," Rory said with a shrug. "The truth's a bitch, ain't it?"

"I'm wounded Ace, really." Logan looked down at her attempting to look offended.

"I don't buy that look for a minute Huntzberger."

Logan laughed at her; Rory definitely wasn't going to take his shit or fall for any of his normal lines. "So. Are you having a good time tonight?"

Rory didn't mind the change of subject and she answered him with a smile. "I am. Your friends are really nice, well except Julia that is." She noticed the other girl still dancing with Seth while giving her the evil eye.

Wanting to see what she was looking at over his shoulder Logan spun them around and saw Julia watching them intently. "Ah yes, Jules. Well, she doesn't really mean to be a bitch she just…well…"

"Thinks she owns you? She's a little possessive seeing that you've never dated and all."

"We've never dated? How do you know that?"

"Stephanie told me. And before you go telling me that doesn't mean you haven't had sex with her stop yourself; I won't buy it. It's not awkward enough for the two of you to have slept together and meant nothing—she's too obsessed."

"Are you saying if we had slept together she would no longer be obsessed with me?" Logan raised his eyebrows at her.

"Hey, you said it, not me." Rory laughed at his expression.

"Wow! You're a presumptuous one, aren't you?"

Rory only continued laughing.

"I'll have you know that she would be _more_ obsessed with me!"

"Well then I understand why you've never taken her to your bed…or followed her to hers."

"Thank you." Logan smiled at her. "But since you obviously won't be obsessed with me afterwards, how about we retire to your room now?" Logan smirked at her thinking he had backed her into a corner.

"And leave now? Are you kidding me? The fun is just beginning!"

"Huh?" Logan definitely hadn't been expecting that response.

"May I cut in?" Julia and Seth were standing next to Logan and Rory.

"Of course." Rory smiled graciously at Logan. "Thanks for the twirl around the floor. Seth?" She questioned, wondering if he wanted to continue dancing. He offered her his hand and led them to a different spot on the dance floor.

"What's your problem tonight Jules?"

"What are you talking about Logan?" Julia looked up at him with eyes full of innocence.

"Don't try and play innocent with me. I know you too well for that. You're not being very nice. Rory's just a friend."

"Yes, a friend. A friend who doesn't fit into our circle at all and has probably befriended you to get on your father's good side."

It took Logan quite a few minutes to stop laughing at that comment. "Have you been listening to anything we've said about the girl? She has my father wrapped around her finger without _any_ help from me. Not that I would have given it to her; I wish my father upon no one, you know that."

Julia nodded, she certainly did know that. "She doesn't fit in with us Logan."

"Are you sure about that?" Logan nodded his head in the direction that Seth had taken Rory; the others had joined them once the must turned fast and the group seemed to be having a lot of fun. Definitely more fun than Logan was having.

Julia groaned. "She's not money Logan."

"Since when did that matter?" He turned his attention back to the girl in front of him, not understanding where it was coming from.

"It always has. She won't fit into our world."

"She's a Gilmore Julia. I think she'll fit in just fine."

"She didn't grow up in our world."

"That doesn't matter. Now, I think we should go join everyone." Logan started to move towards his friends when he noticed she wasn't by his side. "You coming?" He turned back to Julia with questioning eyes.

Julia shook her head. "I'm going home. I'll see you guys tomorrow."

Logan nodded once and turned back towards everyone going up behind Steph and dancing with her, causing the blonde to scream. Julia stood back and watched them all, insanely jealous of how easily Rory Gilmore could gain acceptance into a group that Julia had known her entire life and never been fully engulfed in. With one more look of disgust Julia watched as Rory began dancing with Colin and Colin actually looked like he was having a good time.

"What's wrong with Jules?" Rosemary asked Logan as they danced against each other—all in good fun.

"Who knows?" Logan shrugged. "You know how she is; doesn't like seeing me with anyone else.'

"Right."

They were all aware of how out of control Julia's feelings towards Logan actually were. She had tried multiple times to get Logan to take her home or fall into bed with her when he was drunk at a party but Logan always managed to find another woman to take home instead.

As the night continued Seth and Robert picked up girls from the bar as the others all paired off and enjoyed the evening.

"Are you having a good time?"

Rory looked up at Colin and smiled. "Everyone here is very worried about that, aren't they?"

"What do you mean?" He had purposely decided to dance the rest of the evening with Rory, wanting to get to know her a little better. She had obviously pissed off Julia and Colin wanted to know if the argument that Julia would start tomorrow morning would be worth it.

"You're all concerned with me having a good time. It's really very nice of you, but you don't have to feel like you need to entertain me."

Colin laughed. "Trust me, we don't feel that way. But you did come here with us, we want you to have a good time—feel comfortable and all."

"Well then don't worry, you've definitely accomplished that."

"Good. So we can all be friends now?"

"Yes." Rory paused for a minute. "Don't take this the wrong way or anything but yes to everyone except Julia. I don't think I want to be friends with her."

"I can understand that. She's not too fond of anyone that Logan takes a special liking to."

"He hasn't taken a special liking to me."

Colin twirled her around and laughed. "He definitely has. For no other reason then he can't understand the relationship you have with his father."

Rory shrugged. "It's a relationship based on newspaper stuff. Why wouldn't Logan understand that?"

"Because he and his father never see eye to eye. Hey, maybe you can talk to Mitchum _for_ Logan."

"And say what?" Rory definitely thought Colin was crazy.

"I don't know. How about telling Mitchum to lay off of his son a bit? Let him enjoy his college years before he's chained down to the family business; maybe get Mitchum to let Logan marry whomever he pleases."

"I'll see what I can do." Rory laughed, not taking Colin seriously.

"I'm sure Logan would appreciate it, and I'll keep it between us." Colin winked at her and spun her around until she was dancing in Finn's arms.

"Do you boys always change partners like that?" She asked as the beat changed to something a little more sultry and the intoxicated Finn took advantage of it, grinding their hips together.

"We like to keep things interesting doll."

Rory nodded. "You all do a good job of that."

"Thanks." Nothing else was said between the two of them as they continued to dance, having a good time and enjoying the atmosphere. "So you like our young Huntzberger?" Finn asked her after a few minutes of silence.

Rory rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Why do you all think that?"

"It's obvious my dear. We're betting on how long it will take the two of you to not only recognize it but do something about it."

"Well I hope someone has bet on never because we're not interested in each other like that."

"Keep telling yourself that love." Finn spun her away once more and this time she was back in Logan's arms.

"So it seems we meet again."

"Your friends are placing bets on us," Rory told him bluntly.

"I was wondering how long it would take them to put a pool together."

"You're okay with this?" She stared at him with wide eyes.

"I'm not surprised. It's all in the name of fun, it's not that big of a deal. I don't understand why you're so concerned."

"I'm not…I just…"

"Don't worry about it Ace." Logan pulled her closer as the music turned to a slower beat. "It seems you're meant to be in my arms," he whispered in her ear as they moved together.

"It seems so," she whispered back. Rory rested her head on his shoulder, her nose slightly touching his neck.

Neither of them noticed everyone watching with knowing smiles or the fact that their actions contradicted their previous discussion on the ridiculous bet his friends were making. The only thing the pair knew was that the hoped the song never ended so they could stay that close and have an excuse for doing so.

Unfortunately all good things must come to an end and a half hour later the club was closing, forcing them to head home.

"I'll walk to you back," Logan said to Rory as they got out of the car. "Where's your dorm?

"Branford," Rory answered automatically. "You really don't have to walk me back though. It's not necessary."

"Of course it is. It's two o'clock in the morning, I can't, on good conscious, let you go home by yourself."

"Fine."

"Don't do me any favors here Ace." Logan smirked at her. "Say goodnight to everyone."

Rory rolled her eyes at Logan's patronizing tone. "Goodnight everyone."

"Goodnight Gilmore." "Goodnight Rory." "Goodnight Reporter Girl." The name was different depending on who was speaking.

Logan placed an arm around Rory's shoulders and led her towards her dorm calling out over his shoulder to his friends. "I'll see you guys in a little while."

"Sure we will," Finn muttered.

"Good night," Colin called out.

Shaking his head Logan turned to Rory with a smile. "They mean well, really."

"I'm sure that they do," Rory said softly. It had been a long evening and something told Rory she wouldn't be getting up for her one class tomorrow. She rested her head on Logan's shoulder and allowed him to lead the way back to her room.

"Branford, right?" He asked softly a few minutes later having a feeling that Rory was halfway asleep as they walked.

Rory nodded her head in agreement. "Number five," she said softly. She was falling asleep against Logan, the warmth radiating from his body lulling her eyes to shut against her mind's direction.

"Keys?" Logan asked, keeping his tone soft as they approached her door.

Rory simply held her small purse out to him, signaling that he should open it himself and find her keys. He did as she suggested and unlocked the door for her. Seeing only one door open he headed for that direction.

"Can you take it from here?"

Rory opened her eyes to find that they were standing in the doorway of her bedroom. Nodding her head she smiled even as she felt the loss of body heat Logan had offered. "Thank you for bringing me home."

"Any time Ace." He didn't think it was the proper time to remind her how she protested his company for the walk back. "You're okay from here?"

"I am." Rory reaffirmed.

"Okay. Sleep well. I'll see you later."

"Good night Logan."

"Good night Ace." Logan leaned over and kissed her forehead before turning away.

Rory heard the front door open and close softly before she headed for the common room and locked the door and then into the bathroom to get ready for bed. As she went through the motions of removing her makeup, brushing her teeth and washing her face Rory thought back on the evening. The dancing with Logan, the comments made not only by their friends but the time of them and the walk back home. He left only a few minutes ago and Rory found herself analyzing his "I'll see you later". She was wondering what exactly that meant. When would she be seeing him? Sometime soon she hoped.

With a smile on her face Rory headed back into her room and got under the covers. Tonight was definitely worth missing tomorrow's class.


	7. Guess Who Called

Chapter 7: Guess Who Called

**Chapter 7: Guess Who Called!**

"Hello?" Rory's voice came out harshly as she answered the phone while peaking at her bedside clock.

"Good morning babe!"

Rory groaned loudly. "Mom. What are you doing calling me at eight o'clock in the morning?"

"Can't a mother call her only daughter to say good morning?"

"Not at eight o'clock in the morning before said daughter has had even one cup of coffee."

"What are you doing asleep? Don't you have class?"

"Not for another three hours mom. What's up?"

"You'll never believe who called me today."

"Paul Anka?"

"Oh my god! Do you think that could actually happen? I mean Paul Anka, the _real_ Paul Anka, call me?"

Rory closed her eyes as she laid back down while listening to her mother. "Who called mom?"

"Wow, someone's not in a good mood."

"Early morning, no coffee, late class, loud phone…what do you think?"

"Point made."

"Thanks. Now please tell me who called you."

"Katie Houston."

"Okay…why did you need to wake me up because Katie Houston called you?" Rory didn't know who this Katie woman was.

"Yes! Because do you know who Katie Houston is?"

"No mom, who is Katie Houston?" Somehow Rory knew that she wouldn't be getting back to sleep this morning.

"Katie Houston is none other than the personal secretary to Mitchum Huntzberger."

"Really?" Now Rory was interested.

"So I have your attention now, do I?" Lorelai joked around with her daughter. "I see where the love is."

"What's going on mom?" Rory had an idea but she wasn't going to say anything.

"Apparently Mitchum heard about The Dragonfly and wants to do an entire piece on the place. He has a magazine he wants to place it in, along with a full restaurant review. He also is talking about writing something for his newspaper. Did you know anything about this?"

"Wow Mom, that's great! Is Mitchum going to write it himself?"

"It sounded that way."

Rory could practically see her mom's grin through the phone lines. "Congratulations mom, you guys really deserve this."

"Thanks kid. Did you know anything about this?"

"Not a thing."

"Did you tell him about the inn?"

"Not really. I just said that my mother owned an amazing inn with her best friend and chef—one of the best chef's on the Eastern Seaboard."

"Aw, Sookie will love that you said that kid."

"Good! It always helps when I go to raid the kitchen if the chef likes me."

Lorelai laughed. "So you didn't know that this was going to happen?"

"No one said anything about it to me. I can't believe Mitchum is going to write this article—I don't think he's written anything in a long time."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I think Logan said something about his father not having written anything in years."

"Logan huh? How is the young Mr. Huntzberger?"

"Just fine."

"Just fine? That's all?"

"At eight o'clock in the morning, yes, that's all."

"But there is something more that you would tell me if it was later in the day."

"Mom! I've had no coffee today! Stop!" She moved to the door when she heard someone knocking, relenting to the fact that she would not be going back to sleep this morning. Surprised to see Logan at her door, she smiled at them as she grabbed a cup of coffee out of Logan's hands. "I love you."

"I love you too kid."

"No, not _you_ Mom. _You're_ the one that woke me up at this awful hour when I've had no coffee!"

"Mean child! You hurt mommy so!"

"You started it!" Rory shouted into the phone as Logan took the open door as an invitation inside.

"So if you weren't speaking to me, who were you speaking to?" Lorelai asked catching on to the fact that Rory had to have been speaking to _someone_.

"A coffee god," Rory said while smiling at Logan.

"Oh really? Who is it? It can't be Luke. I can see Luke standing behind the counter as we speak."

"No, it's not Luke mom. But it is someone whose name begins with L."

"The young Huntzberger? Interesting. It's quite early, isn't it?"

Rory groaned. "This coming from the woman who woke me up at eight o'clock in the morning!"

"How was I supposed to know you were ditching classes today? What would your grandparents say?"

"Please! Stop! It's way too early for this conversation. Congratulations on the article mom, you and Sookie deserve all the press you're going to get from this. I'll call you later to talk about the details." Rory hung up the phone before her mother could answer and turned to Logan. "Have I told you yet how much I love you?"

Logan looked over at her with his trademark smirk on his face. "I believe it may have been mentioned. Although…did I hear you mention something about me being a coffee god?"

Rory laughed, strangely capable of following what he had said. "Okay, you've got a point there. What are you doing up so early? I was planning on sleeping in myself but my stupid mother had to wake me up!" Rory glared at the phone as if it were her mother.

Logan laughed. "Couldn't sleep," he said with a shrug. "Figured I see if you were up. I know you mentioned something about going to classes today. And I remembered that you were much easier to deal with when you had coffee in your system so I brought some along just in case."

"How can I ever repay you for that?" Rory asked him with a smile.

"I'm sure I can think of something…"

Rory was laughing at his innuendo when she remembered what her mother had woken her up for. "You will never guess why my mother called me!"

"To wake you up for class?" Logan guessed.

"Nope!" Rory liked that he was playing along with her. She hadn't expected him to really guess.

"To tell you about the best coffee in the world?"

"Silly boy, we already know about the best coffee in the world. It's Luke's."

"Oh really? You think so?" Logan raised an eyebrow at her as if challenging her statement.

"Yup. I do." Rory watched him for a second and regretted her words. "Okay, what do you know? Who has the best coffee in the world?"

"If you're lucky Miss Gilmore, I'll fill you in one of these days."

"Mean!" Rory stuck her tongue out at him and Logan laughed in response. He loved that she was playful like this; he had missed this while he was growing up.

"So are you going to tell me why your mom called or not?" He asked her.

"I don't know about that now…"

"Oh come on, you know you want to," Logan baited her. "But you know, it really doesn't matter to me if you tell me or not. I can survive without knowing."

"You can, can you?" Rory asked raising her eyebrows at him.

"I can," Logan confirmed with a nod.

"I don't think you can."

"You shouldn't underestimate me Miss Gilmore."

"Whatever you say Huntzberger. Now, did you come here for any other reason then to bring me coffee?"

"I'm hurt Ace! My company isn't enough for you? I need a reason to come visit you? Maybe I just wanted your company."

"Yeah, right. Like I'll believe that one. Come on now, you have to have a better reason then that."

"You'd like to think so, wouldn't you?" He teased her knowing that she was getting aggravated.

"Logan!"

"Ace!"

"So, you wanna know why my mom called me?" Rory reverted back to her original question and Logan burst out in laughter. Once he calmed himself down he answered her question.

"Well obviously you are _dying_ for me to know, so I'll play along. Please Ace, tell me why your mom called and woke you up this morning. Though I have to say I'm glad that she did. This way I'm the good guy for bringing you coffee instead of the bad guy for waking you up with coffee in my hand."

Rory nodded at his logic. "Your dad is writing a piece about The Dragonfly!"

Logan smiled. "He is?"

"He called her yesterday, or at least it sounded that way. Actually, it wasn't him."

"Katie?" Logan assumed.

Rory nodded. "Mom said she sounded nice. Made an appointment for them to meet. Your father's going to write the piece himself!" Rory was really excited about that fact.

"I told you that he would Ace. Those Bambi eyes could get a guy to do anything."

"Oh really?" Rory said with raised eyebrows.

"Yes." Logan knew that telling her that was bad news. "What are you thinking Ace?"

"Nothing Logan…"

"Somehow I don't believe you."

"Your prerogative," Rory said with a shrug.

"So? Plans for today? Going to go to class now that you're up?"

Rory laughed. "Silly boy. Silly, silly boy." Logan raised his eyebrows at her. "I am going back to bed for a few hours and then mentally preparing myself for Friday Night Dinner with my grandparents."

"Mentally prepare yourself?" Logan asked with a laugh.

"Yes! Getting ready to go to my grandparent's house for dinner is serious. Especially since I don't know if they know I've met your father. I'm also not sure that they know about him writing an article about The Dragonfly. Because that conversation will certainly lead to how I met your father this week."

"And it's bad that your grandparents know, why?" Logan asked slightly confused.

"It's not that it's bad…per se, it's just, well…Grandma and Grandpa have been talking about introducing us for years because they know how much I love journalism but I refused. I didn't want them helping me out like that. If I got to meet Mitchum Huntzberger I wanted it to be on my terms not as a favor to my grandparents. I didn't, and don't, need their help to succeed. Well, unless you count them paying for school," she said the last part with a smile.

"I respect that Ace. I'm just surprised you never met my Dad at some society function."

Rory snorted. "Please. I only go to those functions when forced and Mom and I usually spend most of it driving my grandmother insane before deciding an hour and a half is an appropriate amount of time to be there. We head out the back way so Grandma can't yell at us. It's great! The next morning she always wants to know where we were all night and mom tells her we were there and Grandma just didn't see us. They go back and forth for a while; great fun."

"I've used that tactic before myself, only my father doesn't fall for it anymore. That's why we form sub-parties."

"Sub-parties?"

"Oh yes, we stay an appropriate amount of time, grab some alcohol and change locations. That way we're technically at the party but we're actually having fun."

"Smart idea." Rory looked over at the clock. "As much as I've enjoyed this conversation Mr. Huntzberger, if I don't go back to sleep now I won't go back to sleep at all and then I'll be a grouchy Gilmore through dinner and my grandmother will drive me more insane then she usually does."

Logan shook his head with amusement at the picture she painted. "Far be it for me to make you suffer even more this evening. Have a good day Ace, sweet dreams."

"Thanks Logan." Rory closed the door behind him, a smile on her face. How nice of it was him just to drop by with coffee like that. Anticipating her hangover and all? He certainly was different…

**GGGGGG**

Rory woke up four hours later with a start. Looking at the clock she realized she wouldn't have to leave for dinner for another six hours, so what could have woken her up like that? Grabbing her cell phone quickly she waited impatiently for the other person to pick up. "Hello, Dragonfly Inn."

"Which week was the dinner where we are being forced to bring dates?"

"Um…this week?" Lorelai answered.

"Excuse me? She told you _last night_ that we were expected to show up _tonight_ with dates? Grandma really thinks that we can come up with men just that fast?"

Lorelai laughed. "She thinks that we've got them at our beck and call. Hey, isn't that what's going on with you and Logan?"

"What? Mom, you're crazy."

"No I'm not! From what you've been saying you could easily get him to come with you. He likes you kid."

Rory blushed before answered. "You don't think that would be just a little awkward? Me just walking up and asking him out last minute like that? I'm sure that he already has plans for this evening."

"So? He'll change his plans."

Rory snorted. "You obviously don't know Logan Huntzberger that well. Guys like him do not cancel dates to take girls like me to some business dinner party her grandparents are throwing and insisting she bring a date to. A party that he tries to stay away from himself."

"You're crazy, he'll come, just ask him. He'll cancel whatever other plans he has for this evening. Trust me." Lorelai paused for a minute and then came back to the phone. "I gotta go kid, Michele is yelling at someone for something and I have to stop him before they leave and spread the word about the evil Frenchman who works here! Good luck with Logan, I'm sure he'll be happy to go. He'll ask you what color your corsage should be and everything."

"Mom!" Rory moaned as the line was disconnected. With a heavy sigh she hung up her cell and made her way into the bathroom. It looked like she needed to track down one Logan Huntzberger and "beg" him to come to dinner at her grandparent's house this evening.

A half hour later found Rory slowly making her way towards Logan's dorm after deciding that was probably the best place to start looking for him. She wasn't quite ready to phone him up, they had only really hung out a couple of times, Rory felt awkward calling him like that. She felt completely ridiculous asking him to come to this dinner with her too.

"Rory! Hey! How are you?" A male voice, though not the male voice she wanted to hear, called out to her.

Stopping her progress, kind of relieved for the distraction, Rory turned around. "Hey Marty, how are you?" She smiled at him as he got closer to her.

"I'm good. I haven't seen you in a while." He had missed hanging out with Rory, they had created a special bond in the beginning of the semester when she found him naked outside of dorm room. He had even developed a crush on her—a big crush. But Rory was oblivious and he didn't have the guts to say anything to her just yet.

"It's been crazy with the paper and school and my mom."

"Your mom?"

"Yeah, she's just opened up an inn with her best friend and things are crazy. That's thrown in with the usual craziness that is my mother." Marty smiled at the thought of her mother. He had met Lorelai once and immediately understood where Rory got her personality from—everything but the bookworm part made sense after meeting Lorelai. It made Marty wonder what Rory's father was like. "What's going on with you?"

Marty was just about to answer when another male voice interrupted them. "Reporter Girl!"

Rory shook her head and turned to the three men coming towards her. "Are any of you ever going to remember my real name?" She asked with mock annoyance.

Colin laughed. "I wouldn't get your hopes up, especially with Finn here."

"Do I know you, love? Have we met before?" Finn gave her his winning smile even though she could tell that under his sunglasses were hiding the massive hangover he had.

"Why Finn! I can't believe you don't remember me! After the night we shared and all! Here I thought I was special, though we had made a real connection." She laughed as Finn's eyes went wide and failed to notice the same response, for different reasons from Marty.

"Colin? Robert?" Finn asked with a voice sounding like a scared little boy. "What is the lovely lady talking about?"

"You don't remember carrying her to your car last night buddy?" Robert asked with a wicked grin on his face. It was true, of course, but not for the reasons that Finn or Marty were thinking.

"Um, Rory, I think I'm going to go." Marty said softly.

His words brought Rory back to reality and she turned to look at him immediately feeling bad. "I'm so sorry Marty! Don't go, let's get some coffee and catch up." _Talking to Logan could definitely wait_.

"No, no, that's okay. We'll catch up another time, have a good weekend." Marty made a quick retreat from the group.

"Do we know him?" Colin asked her.

"I don't think so," Rory told him. There was no reason why they would know each other, they certainly didn't run in the same circles. Marty didn't really like people like Colin and his friends. Rory knew that they were different then Marty believed, going to Chilton had taught her something, but Marty definitely wasn't wrong in his thoughts either. It just wasn't as bad as he thought and Marty certainly didn't look like he was willing to give any of them a chance.

"I'm seeing him in a uniform of some sorts," Robert added to the conversation.

"What? Yes! That's it!" Colin replied. "Bartender…is he bartender?" He was looking at Rory now.

"Yeah, he is."

"Marty! Makes a kickass margarita!" Finn exclaimed; leave it to him to bring the alcohol to the table.

"That's right! Great bartender, we'll have to keep his number on file."

"So what are you up to this morning fair Reporter Girl?" Colin asked her with a grin.

"Actually…" She had no reason to put it off any longer; she was standing here with his best friends, they were sure to know where he was. "I was on my way to talk to Logan, I wanted to ask him something. Do you happen to know where he is?

The guys all exchanged a look before Colin answered her. "I believe he's back in his room. Recovering from last night I suppose."

"What do you want to talk to him about?" Robert asked her being extremely nosy.

"Just had a question, that's all." Rory didn't really feel like talking to them about it, she was embarrassed enough as it was. "If you'll excuse me I really do need to talk to Logan, I'm on a time limit. See you guys later." Without waiting for them to answer Rory headed off for Logan's room, shifting her weight nervously as she waited for him to answer the door.

"Ace! This is a surprise!" Logan smiled as he opened the door to find Rory standing there looking nervous. "Twice in one day, I must be a lucky guy. Do you want to come in?"

Rory nodded and walked through the open door. "Thanks." Her voice came out a little scratchier then she would have liked.

"Everything okay?" He was watching her closely, surprised by how nervous she looked talking to him.

"Yeah. Well… kind of." She really felt like an idiot now.

"Kind of? Is there something I can do for you?"

"Well yes, or at least I hope so. It's kind of a big thing and very last minute so if you can't I understand. You don't have to feel obligated or anything…" She was starting to ramble.

"What's going on here Ace?" Logan was thoroughly lost.

"My grandmother's having some stupid business dinner party for my grandfather and my mother was instructed that I needed to bring a date—Grandma's orders. Mom wants to meet you, said I should ask you. You wouldn't happen to be free, would you?" She was looking at the floor when she asked him the question, feeling really stupid.

Somehow Logan managed to keep his laughter in line, she was obviously embarrassed and nervous about asking him to go with her. "So you're asking me because of your mother, but mainly because of your grandmother's request? Wow, I don't know whether to be flattered that you gave such a wonderful report to your mother that she wants to meet me or hurt because you don't seem to want me there yourself."

"It's not that I don't…it's just…well I'm sure that you have plans and I don't want you to rearrange your schedule because my grandmother decided that I needed to bring a date with me. Also, I don't _really_ know you that well…" _Which is a total lie because I've been watching you all semester. If you only knew how well I actually know you, you'd be running away as fast as you can._

"Well I certainly think that we're getting to know each other better, don't you? And tonight would be a perfect chance for us to get to know each other without my crazy friends around."

Rory laughed. "You think they're bad, just wait until you see my mother. I guarantee you that it won't be that much better. She can be a pretty bad influence, particularly when we're with my grandparents. She loves to push their buttons."

"I can't wait. I'd love to go with you Ace, thanks for asking me." She could hear the sincerity in his voice and the serious look on his face. He didn't seem to feel backed into a corner and forced to go with her.

"Are you sure? If you already have plans tonight I don't want you canceling them, really. It's not that big of a deal."

"Stop it Ace, it's not a problem, I'm happy to go. What time?" He smiled at her and Rory felt like she could melt.

"Seven, is that okay?"

"Perfect. I'll be by your place at six-thirty, okay?"

"You'll never know how much I appreciate this Logan."

"Oh really?" He raised his eyebrows and she couldn't help but laugh.

"I don't think I even want to know what you're thinking."

Logan laughed and was about to say something when the door opened and Colin and Finn walked inside. "Reporter Girl! Seems that you found Huntz here."

Rory nodded. "I did, thanks for telling me where he was."

"Anytime. So what's going on with you two crazy kids?" Colin asked as he sat down on the couch.

"Ace here invited me to some dinner party that Emily Gilmore is throwing tonight."

"Tonight? Really? Aren't you…" Logan started waving his hands and Colin caught on.

"Logan?" Rory questioned, picking up Colin's gestures and realized Logan did have plans for this evening. "I really don't want you canceling your plans for this."

Logan shot Colin a dirty look and then turned his attention back to Rory. "Please Ace, don't worry about it. Dinner with you is much more important, really. Now go back and prepare yourself, mentally and physically, for tonight's dinner and I'll be by at six-thirty, okay?"

Reluctantly Rory nodded and headed out the door that Logan was holding open for her. "Thanks for this Logan…really. I'm sorry for making you change your plans."

"You're not making me do anything Rory." He used her names in hopes of stressing his point to her. "I'll see you in a few hours." With a final nod from her Logan watched as she headed down the hall. "You have a big mouth!" Logan told his friend once he moved back into the dorm.

"What? How was I supposed to know that you didn't have a problem canceling your date with Shelby? You never cancel on anyone except your parents."

"Yeah…well…" Logan didn't answer. "I should probably get ready or something." He got off of the chair and moved into his room, closing the door behind him.

"When do you think he's going to realize that he still has four hours before he has to pick her up?" Finn asked Colin. "I know the boy takes a terribly long time to get ready but four hours? Come on!"

Colin's only answer was to laugh. Logan had it bad and didn't even know it. This was going to be interesting, very interesting.


	8. WowYou LookWow

Chapter 8: Wow…You look…Wow

**Chapter 8: Wow…You look…Wow**

He was nervous. Logan had never been nervous before, but he was. What was it about Rory Gilmore? Why did she make him nervous? What was so different about her? Logan laughed to himself about that last question. It was easy to see what was so different about Rory. She was unlike any other woman he'd met before. People, especially women, were always after him for his name and money. What some women would give to be with the Huntzberger heir for the rest of her life was scary sometimes. He could only take his friends at face value because they all came from the same situation. His closest friends, Colin, Steph and Finn, he had known since they were extremely young and created a unique bond between them. Letting people into their 'clique' was difficult. They didn't like to. It was usually a group vote, though most people that joined them were significant others who didn't stay around very long so it wasn't a problem. Rarely did the guys ever share girls, it wasn't proper. But now here he was standing in front of Rory Gilmore's door with sweaty palms. This was NOT a good sign. He didn't get this way about girls—it was his rule—a rule he kept strictly. There were no exceptions.

Gathering up his courage Logan knocked on the door and impatiently waited. "Coming! I'll be there in a minute! Just hold on!" He could hear her moving around, obviously looking for something before she let out a scream. Logan figured she was walking towards the door since the other noise stopped. "Hey, come in, how are you?" She was wearing a yellow terry robe that came to mid-thigh with her make-up done.

"I'm sorry, am I early?" Logan looked down at his watch and saw that it was 6:32pm, he was on time.

"For a Gilmore girl, yes, you're early. But I wouldn't be this far behind if my mother had not only not called but not hidden my shoes either. I can't find them. I think this means she stole them but now I have to rearrange my outfit to wear something that matches the shoes!" She was speaking at her usual breakneck pace and Logan found it endearing.

"Your mother has your shoes?" He looked at her strangely.

"Of course she does! Though she won't admit it until I see them on her feet tonight!" Rory moved into the kitchen and started opening the appliances.

"Um, Ace?"

"Yeah?" The sound was muffled as she stuck her hear in the oven like she thought she had missed something.

"What are you doing?"

"Looking for my shoes," she said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world to be looking for shoes in the oven.

"Um, can I ask you why?" She was insane. It was official.

"Because if Rory or Lorelai gets cold or wet they put their shoes someplace warm, or what's more likely is that they come home from a long day, their feet hurt but their first thought is coffee. With that in mind they start making the coffee but don't want to leave it in the kitchen by itself, Jude gets cranky if he's left by himself while brewing, so they end up taking their shoes off and sticking them in the oven." Paris' voice came from the front door as she came inside and answered Logan.

"Oh, well, um…"

"It's strange logic, I know," Paris said. "But you get used to it I guess."

"Here's the sneaker you were looking for this morning Paris!" Rory called out as she removed her arm from the bottom cabinet and tossed the object to her roommate.

"Thanks. I thought I looked there."

Logan watched the two girls and was thoroughly amused.

"What are you doing here?" Paris asked as if she had only just recognized that it was Logan Huntzberger standing in her kitchen.

"I'm here for Ace, we're…"

"Logan's coming with my to my grandparent's tonight," Rory explained, cutting Logan's sentence off.

"Oh really?" Paris looked from Rory to Logan with raised eyebrows. "Interesting."

"Okay, I can't find the shoes, I'll have to pick out a new outfit. We'll be late but my grandmother will just have to deal with it. Though I'm sure my mother will be much more upset then Grandma and Grandpa, she hates being there by herself, date or no date. I'll be right back, Paris, play nice!" Rory glared at her roommate and hurried off to her room, she didn't want to be too late.

As she stood in front of her closet and stared at all the clothes Rory had no idea what to wear. She had planned on a simple black dress but without the perfect black shoes it wasn't going to work. She could wear something brown, or even red, but should she? She could really get away with the same dress just different shoes but Rory felt it was the shoes that made the outfit. As her eyes stayed on the closet her mind started to stray to Logan. He looked incredible this evening. Granted his outfit wasn't anything special—trousers, a button down and nice dinner jacket, but he just pulled it off so damn well. Rory knew thinking about Logan this way wouldn't be good but she couldn't help it. He somehow had managed to consume her mind even more since she had met him. Part of her really wanted things to go back to her simply watching him across campus and another part was happy they had finally met. Logan would be a great friend, that much she knew.

"Go with the red," a voice said from behind her and made her jump. She saw the blonde head bend and pick up shoes that would match the dress perfectly before kissing her on the cheek. "If you don't get ready now we're really going to be really late. I'll be right outside."

Logan left the room, closing the door tightly behind him, sitting himself on the couch again. A moment after Rory had gone into her room, Paris had excused herself and left Logan to amuse himself in the common room. He was okay for a few minutes but when he realized that Rory was taking too long and they would be far later then fashionably late, he decided to knock on her door. When Rory didn't answer he tried again before entering. Somehow Logan managed to hold in his laughter as he saw Rory staring blankly at he closet. She was obviously having issues picking an outfit out. Deciding for her, Logan knew he scared her when both suggesting the dress and picking out the proper shoes. Honor had certainly taught him something through the years—he had a knack for fashion, style and size.

"Okay. I'm ready. Let's go." Rory came out of her room and stood in front of where Logan was sitting on the couch. He had obviously been thinking about something and though she wanted to know she didn't have time to properly pry. As she looked at her watch once again Rory knew that her grandparents would not be happy she was late. "Logan?" His eyes had lifted to hers but he had yet to say anything. "Is everything okay?"

He finally blinked and smiled as he stood. "Yeah Ace, everything is fine, it's just, you look…wow." Even though he had picked the outfit for her, Logan had no idea she would look _that_ good in it. Then again, he wouldn't be surprised if Rory looked good in everything she wore. She could make a pair of sweatpants look sexy.

"Um, thanks." Rory was not good at handling compliments. "You don't look so bad yourself," she smiled at him, "can we leave so my grandparents don't make us stay there for the entire weekend to make up for being tardy?"

Logan laughed as he moved towards the door and opened it for her. "That would never happen Ace."

"You obviously don't know my grandparents very well."

"What? You don't think I could charm my way out of it?" Logan opened up the car door for her, closing it carefully when she slid inside and then moved around to the driver's side.

"Well you probably could manage _that_," Rory relented once they started driving.

"Thanks for that, hope it wasn't too much of a hardship." Rory's only answer was laughter. They fell into a comfortable silence, the noise of the radio filling the car until they pulled up in front of the Gilmore's house. Logan gave the valet his keys and turned to help Rory out of the car. "You ready?" He could see how nervous she actually was and it caught him by surprise.

"I hate coming to these things," Rory told him.

"I thought you'd be used to them by now." As much as he and his friends hated these events they were used to them and managed to get through them with sub-parties. Logan knew that Rory wasn't a true society child but the Gilmores couldn't have left her out of the limelight for long. They had to be making her their heir, meaning she couldn't be hidden. Seeing the apprehension on her face, Logan took Rory's hand in his and gave it a squeeze before ringing the doorbell. "Is your mom here yet?" He asked as the maid opened the door.

"Miss Gilmore," she said with a small smile. "Your grandmother has been asking about you."

Rory gave Logan a pointed look before returning the smile to the maid. "I'm sure she has. Do you know where she is at the moment?"

"Lorelai! Really!" They heard Emily's voice from the other room and Rory could only laugh.

"I take my question back, I'm sure I can find them now." With a nod the woman walked away with both their coats.

"Why do you think Emily was yelling at your mother?" Logan asked as they walked through the house. It wasn't as big as his family's house, that was for sure, but it still had the frozen in time look. At least Logan could say they house looked livable. He had been happy to get away from his parent's "house" each year because it was so big, cold, and lonely. The Gilmores may have more things that you can't touch then you can but the house did still look lived in—slightly.

"Knowing Grandma it could be anything from mom's outfit, to a pop-culture comment Grandma doesn't understand or a simple sarcastic comment. Knowing mom is was a combination of the three." They entered the main room and Rory looked around. She saw her grandfather talking with a bunch of men in one corner, another man with greasy looking hair in another big group of men, she had an inkling that the man was the infamous Digger, and then she spotted her grandmother and mother in a circle of D.A.R. women.

"Rory! You're here! Finally!" Lorelai looked up to see her daughter and gave her a look of relief.

"You're late," Emily scolded, "why are you late?"

"That would be my fault Emily; I ran a little late this evening and then we hit traffic. Please don't blame Rory." Logan spoke up and used his most charming smile on Emily Gilmore—the one he knew from experience worked on her, as well as most of the D.A.R. women who were "friends" with his mother. After all, it was Logan's opinion that none of these women were truly friends with each other unless they had known the other for many, many years and even then nothing was certain.

"Oh Logan! How nice to see you! I didn't know you were bringing Logan, Rory!" Emily smiled at Logan, her demeanor instantly changing as she accepted the kiss that he placed on her cheek in greeting. "I hope there was nothing seriously wrong this evening?"

"Nothing at all, just my roommates being their usual selves. You know Colin McCrae and Finn Rothschild, don't you? Or at least their parents?" Logan continued with the charm as Lorelai and Rory watched him work Emily Gilmore like no one had worked her before.

"Of course I know Colin and Finn, lovely young men," Emily replied. Rory couldn't help but laugh at the description of either of those boys being 'lovely young men'. They weren't awful by any means, but to her mind lovely was pushing it. "Rory? Is everything okay?"

"Of course Grandma." Rory and Lorelai shared a look and Logan could tell they were trying to hold back their laughter. He was about to say something when Emily spoke up first.

"If you'll excuse me, there's something I must take care of. I'm glad that you two could make it. Rory don't forget to say hello to your grandfather." Emily floated off to talk to someone else giving Lorelai and Rory a chance to let out their laughter.

"What did you do?" Rory asked her mother when they had finally calmed down. She looked over her mother's clothes and decided Emily Gilmore couldn't have found anything wrong with them so it had to be something else.

"Whatever are you talking about child?" Lorelai grinned at her daughter.

"We heard Grandma yelling at you from the door, what happened?" A waiter passed by with a tray of champagne and Logan took three, handing glasses to both of the Gilmore girls. "Thanks," she said with a smile at Logan before turning back to her mother.

Lorelai watched the pair with interest and was immediately trying to maneuver a way in her head to get a minute alone with her daughter. She had to find out what was going on between her and the young Huntzberger. "Nothing happened. You know how my mother likes to over-exaggerate."

Rory looked around the room as she nodded and turned back to her mother with a curious glance. "Who did you bring with you?" Lorelai's smirk made Rory laugh. "_That's_ what she was upset about? You not having a date?"

"Well, no, not exactly." Lorelai's smirk grew. "You see I was all set to go with your father but then he called and had some work thing that he had to do and I opted not to find someone else to bring along. _That's_ what Grandma was mad about. Then you come prancing in with the young Huntzberger and once again win her love and affection. You've really got to stop one-upping me kid!"

Rory snorted. "Like you _really_ want Grandma's love and affection?" Logan laughed at Lorelai's expression. "And since when does Grandma show the feelings of love and affection to anyone besides Grandpa; which I must say I've seen clearly only once—at their vowel renewals."

"Don't forget Chilton graduation; she had a lot of love for you that day. And your sweet 16, the lovely party that she threw in this very room for you. She went to all that trouble to make sure the candlesticks were exactly six inches apart and everything, you mustn't forget that!"

Logan was overcome with laughter at this point. If he thought Rory was a character, Lorelai was at least as entertaining, if not more. "Please tell me you'll take me to your town one day, Ace. If this is how you and your mother are, I can only imagine the other weirdos that live there!" His laughter continued and the Gilmore girls shared a look.

"And on that note," Rory began while shaking her head at her date, "Mom, I'd like to introduce you to my escort Logan Huntzberger."

"Dirty!" Lorelai interrupted with a smirk on her face—a smirk that Logan returned.

"Mom!" Rory blushed. "Logan, this is my insane mother Lorelai Gilmore."

"It's nice to meet you Lorelai," Logan kissed her hand like a "true gentlemen" and she laughed.

"Save it for my daughter blondie."

"So Dad, really?" Rory asked looking at her mother.

Lorelai nodded. "Why is that such a surprise?"

"I don't know," Rory said with a shrug. "I didn't realize that you and he were talking at the moment; it _does_ change every day you know. Besides, weren't you seeing Digger?"

"Keep your voice down!" Lorelai said loudly, getting a look from Richard and Emily from across the room. "I _was_ seeing him but he was upset that I wouldn't tell my parents about us so I could be his date for the evening. That mixed with the whole he couldn't share the same bed with me thing really started to get on my nerves. We ended it."

"Oh mom! I'm sorry! Why didn't you say anything?"

"Wasn't that big of a deal," Lorelai said. "I had much more important and happier things to talk about. Speaking of which," she turned to Logan with a worrisome smile, "I'd like to pick your brain about your father. I'm sure by now Rory's told you that he's writing an article on me and my inn, as well as my best friend the chef, Sookie. Rory, be a doll and go say hello to your grandfather, okay?"

Rory looked back and forth between Logan and her mother and decided not to argue. "Okay, but if he lets me into the good stuff you can't complain." Richard always snuck Rory a little something to drink, to help her get through the stuffy evening he would say, and Lorelai was only offered some if she tagged along with Rory. If Lorelai didn't she always started something with her daughter.

Lorelai looked at Rory closely and sighed. "I'll try and hold back the comments, but I fear this conversation is more important than liquor."

"What! I can't believe my ears! Did you hear that? I need you to me by witness Logan!" She looked at him and he returned her glance with a confused look. "My mother, Lorelai Victoria Gilmore the second, just admitted that having a conversation with you at _her parent's house_ was more important than getting a hold of some of the 'good liquor'!" When Logan finally understood what she was making such a big deal about he couldn't help but laugh. Rory recognized the look in his eyes and moved to whisper in his ear, "don't even think of getting any of it for her!" She knew what he had been thinking, she knew him better than he thought.

"Yes ma'am!" Logan saluted her and Rory stuck her tongue out at him. "You'll be okay with me for a while though?" He knew how simply boring an event like this.

"Aw, isn't that sweet? Don't worry blondie, my father loves Rory, he'll probably give her a new book or introduce her to the head of CNN who will instantly offer her a job as an overseas correspondent."

"Mom!" Rory blushed, that was definitely not true.

"Just because Richard favors her doesn't mean that she'll be okay. It could actually make it worse," Logan pointed out.

"I should be okay Logan." Rory smiled her thanks at him. "But if you can't find me in ten minutes, please save me!"

Logan laughed. "You got it Ace." He turned to Lorelai. "You ready Ms. Gilmore?"

"Call me Lorelai or else," she warned. "So your father…what's he like?" Lorelai asked as they moved to a quieter spot in the room.

"Well, um…Ace, I mean Rory could probably tell you better than I could." Logan felt badly admitting it but it was most likely true.

"What are you talking about? And you call my daughter Ace? What is it with the blonde boys always giving her nicknames?" Lorelai asked the third question rhetorically but it peaked Logan's interest.

"What do you mean 'the blonde boys'?"

"Oh, just the blonde she knew at Chilton that liked her called her Mary and you're the blonde that likes her at Yale and you call her Ace. You still haven't told me why you call her Ace."

"As in Ace Reporter," Logan clarified. "We know each other from the paper. Well, formally from the paper."

"Formally?" Lorelai completely forgot that she wanted to talk to Logan about his father, the conversation about Rory was much more insightful.

"Oh, well, I had seen her at the paper…and…around campus…but we were introduced through my father a few weeks ago and she met him formally at the YDN."

"I see." Lorelai began to wonder if Logan had been watching Rory the way that Rory had been watching him for the past couple of months. "Do you like Yale?"

"What's not to like?" Logan asked in a bored fashion.

"Family legacy and not being allowed to choose your own destiny," Lorelai replied simply.

"Lorelai, since the second I understood what destiny and dreams and the future meant, I understood that I was not going to get a say in mine. Even if I did somehow manage to get my family to allow me to attend a different university, I would still have just as little say in the rest of my life there as I do here. At least at Yale I have my best friends."

"Planning on partying through the last free years of your life?" She inquired.

"How did you…?" Logan looked up at Lorelai strangely. No adult ever understood what was going on with all of them. To an adult it was the way things go—you have kids, they take over the business and the cycle continues. They came from a generation where family obligation meant absolutely everything and no one ever thought about breaking away from the mold. They didn't party in college like their life was ending because for people like his father and Richard Gilmore they were perfectly happy having everything set out for them.

"Just because I moved out of this world doesn't mean I don't remember it. I know how Rory's father struggled with his family and not following his father's footsteps. It still kills his parents. I remember how all my friends were dreading the time of graduation. There was a reason I took Rory and ran the first chance I got—I wanted more for me, I wanted more for _her_." Lorelai looked Logan in the eyes and they shared a mutual understanding before she switched gears. "I don't, however, believe that there is _nothing_ you can tell me about your father to prepare me for next week."

"Are you nervous?" Logan asked with a smile. He loved to see people nervous over meeting his father; it amused him. "You shouldn't be nervous. He simply adores Rory. I'm sure that if I told him I proposed to her, she agreed and we wanted to get married on Christmas he would do a little happy dance. I don't think you have anything to worry about. Just don't let his overpowering look, booming voice and stoic face scare you away. As long as he treats you like he treats Ace you'll have no problem, I promise you…"

"How did she wrap your father around her finger like that?"

Logan shrugged. "I have absolutely no idea, but Dad likes her. I haven't seen him act like that with anyone except my sister, and even then it's rare."

"Logan! I didn't know you were coming tonight! It's good to see you!" Richard's voice came from behind the two and they both turned to look at him. "Lorelai! How are you? Enjoying yourself?"

"I'm fine Dad. Just talking to Logan about his father; Mitchum is writing an article about the inn."

"Really? That's wonderful." Richard smiled at his daughter.

"It's good to see you Richard, thanks for having me." Logan offered his hand to the older man, which Richard politely shook.

"Anytime. You're here with my granddaughter I assume?" He was smiling as he said this.

"Yes, I am. Didn't Ace tell you?" Logan looked around the room quickly. "Where did she head off to? I thought she said she was going to speak to you?"

"Oh she was, she's in my study actually. Wanted a break from the crowd I believe was her excuse this time. How are you feeling Lorelai? Do you need a break as well?" Richard looked at his daughter with playful eyes.

"Would you mind Dad?" Lorelai gave him her best puppy-dog eyes, but they were nothing compared to Rory's Bambi ones.

Richard shook his head in amusement. "Go ahead. You might as well join them Logan. Now both of you scurry off before Emily notices that I've let you escape the clutches of the D.A.R. women!"

Logan and Lorelai laughed and smiled before Lorelai led the way to the study. "How did you pull that off?" She asked the minute she stepped into the study. Immediately she was shushed by the wave of Rory's hands.

"I know that, but why couldn't it wait?" Rory did not sound happy. "But I thought we were going to…" She was obviously cut off. "But! No!" Rory looked up at her mom and Logan and they could see the pout on her face. "You wouldn't be saying that if you were here!" She continued to argue. "No one can resist this face, you know that!" Once again Rory groaned. "No. I'm not going to. There's no way that I'm going to let you force me into it. Nothing good will happen from me being there. You know it and I know it. Grandma and Grandpa wouldn't let me go either. They'd kill you. And Grandma loves you, so her killing you over this says something, does it not? But!" This time she actually growled into the phone. "Ha! I win!" She exclaimed after a minute. "Well mom and Logan just walked into the study so I should probably hang up now. Yes Huntzberger. Whatever. Love you too. Bye." Rory hung up the phone and looked at Logan. "Do you realize I got more questions this evening about me bringing you as my date then anything else? Apparently I've made the best decision possible. You're the only one for me, the love of my life as, of course, I am the love of yours. I think Grandma and her friends are planning us a spring wedding in two years. It's okay to be married our senior year apparently. Did you know there are rules about that kind of thing?" Rory looked at them while rolling her eyes. "Grandpa is my hero you know."

"And why is that?" Lorelai asked, recovering much faster from Rory's long-winded speech then Logan was.

"He saw Grandma and her cronies heading my way and escorted me into the study, telling me not to come out until he got a chance to send both of you back here."

"Really?" Lorelai raised her eyebrows. "Why do you think he was being so nice?"

"I don't know, haven't figured it out yet."

"Why does there have to be an ulterior motive?" Logan questioned, finally having his brain catch up with their conversation.

The Gilmore girls laughed at him. "There's _always_ an ulterior motive with my parents young Huntzberger. Haven't you figured that out about your parents yet? For every nice thing they do to or for you, if it's not making something up to you—missed soccer game or graduation or something—it's to butter you up for whatever bomb they are planning to drop."

"Can we leave now?" Rory asked her mother.

"Shouldn't you be asking me that?" Logan asked her with a smirk. "We did come together after all."

"That I know," Rory answered him. "But I also know that you would never voluntarily want to spend more time here this evening_ and_ I know that I'm spending the weekend in Stars Hollow with Mom so as much fun as it would be to go back to campus with you I'm not. I'm just your ticket out of this boring function."

"What?" For some reason Logan was really bothered that she wasn't coming back with him. He wanted to spend more time, alone, with her.

"Sorry, did I forget that detail? Mom's bringing me back to school Sunday night. Let's go!" She led the way out of the study into the room happy to see that her grandparent's were standing together for once. "Grandma, Grandpa, I think we're all going to head out now. Thank you for a lovely evening."

"You have to leave so early?" Emily questioned looking sad.

"Sorry Grandma, Logan pushed back his plans to come here with me last minute and he's going to be late and mom promised Sookie she would go shopping for the inn tomorrow early."

Emily looked as if she didn't believe Rory's excuse for Lorelai but didn't argue. "Well, if you all must leave, we'll see you girls next Friday, okay?"

"Just us?" Rory wanted to clarify that she wouldn't need to bring another date.

"Unless there is someone you'd like to bring with you," Emily not to subtly hinted.

"Not that I know of. Enjoy the rest of the evening." Rory kissed both of her grandparent's cheeks and Logan shook their hands as Lorelai just verbalized her goodnights.

"I have to admit, that was well done Ace," Logan said as he helped Rory with her coat.

"I taught her everything she knows," Lorelai said proudly.

"Can we go to Luke's?" Rory asked with wide, hopeful eyes.

"Where else would we go?" Lorelai asked her daughter. She caught a glimpse of Logan's face and a plan formed in her mind. "Logan? Would you like to join us for the best pie and coffee you'll ever have in your entire life?" When Logan's eyes lit up she knew she had done the right thing.

"What do you say Ace? Would you mind spending a little bit longer in my company?"

Lorelai noticed how Rory's eyes lit up for a brief second at Logan's words. Seemingly happy that he was excited at the idea of coming back to Stars Hollow. "I think I may be able to handle your company for a _little_ bit longer," Rory agreed, trying to sound reluctant.

"Good. So you drive with Logan since he doesn't know the way and I'll meet you at Luke's." Lorelai climbed into the Jeep as the pair got settled in Logan's Porsche.


	9. Support System

Chapter 9: Support System

**Chapter 9: Support System**

Friday night at the Gilmore girls' house had been amusing. Luke had taken one look at Logan and written him off as some rich kid he didn't like. It had taken many glances and finally a brief summary of who Logan was from Lorelai before Luke backed off. Neither of the usually astute college students recognized what was going on around them being that they were so caught up in each other. Though Lorelai knew neither of them would admit the infatuation with the other, to the rest of the world it was plain to see. They were smitten. Even with all of this said the part of the evening Lorelai found most intriguing was Logan's admission that he had seen Rory "around campus". Something told Lorelai that Logan was watching/stalking Rory in the same way that Rory was watching/stalking him. They just didn't know it.

Logan had stayed for movie night, though it wasn't a full out Gilmore girls movie night, and ended up sleeping on the couch. It had been late Saturday afternoon when he finally left. He really did have plans with Colin and Finn and he couldn't ditch them. Rory was okay with that and saw him off with a big hug and smile, watching him drive off from the porch.

"So…" Lorelai began when Rory finally came back inside.

"So what? Are we watching movies tonight too?" Rory asked as she crossed the room to look through the movies her mom had pulled while she was at school.

"If you want to," Lorelai answered her daughter's question before posing her own. "What's going on with you and Logan?"

"Nothing's going on between me and Logan," Rory answered automatically. "How about a Bogie night? _Casablanca, Sabrina_ and _The Big Sleep_?"

"Sounds good, but there's definitely something going on there."

Rory ignored Lorelai's comment by going into the kitchen and getting everything in order for a full movie night. The topic of Logan was also dropped for the rest of the weekend since every time he was brought up Rory changed the topic or pretended she didn't hear the question. Even when Miss Patty asked about the handsome young man who had been around over the weekend Rory said nothing other than he was a friend from Yale.

She got back to Yale Sunday night exhausted from the weekend and ready to throw herself back into school. School was predictable and right now she wanted predictable. Of course she could get predictable with Logan, she knew his schedule so she could technically stalk him but she wasn't going there. Rory needed to give her mind a break from Logan Huntzberger. No one had let her forget him all weekend, everyone wanted details; her grandparents called to find out if they were dating, her mother wanted to know how things progressed and the town had all kinds of questions. As much as she enjoyed spending time with Logan bringing him places with her was turning into a lot of work. And she was still convinced that her grandmother was still planning their wedding and their children's names.

Monday afternoon found Rory at her final class of the day, her head resting on the desk. She hadn't gotten a lot of sleep last night since Paris had kept her up half the night talking about Doyle. Most of the conversation was things Rory didn't want to know about her editor and she only hoped would never have to hear anything about. In the end the conversation seemed to help Paris and Rory was happy about that. The happier Paris was the fewer details she would share with her.

"Rough weekend?" A female voice asked from next to her.

Rory looked up to see Rosemary sitting next to her and Colin on the other side of Rosemary. "You could say that. I didn't know you guys were in this class."

"We didn't know you were either, Reporter Girl." She glared at Colin and he only laughed at her. "So how did dinner go with Huntz?"

"You and Logan went to dinner?" Rosemary asked all excited.

"Not really."

"Don't lie Gilmore, he spent four hours getting ready Friday night _and_ cancelled another date. He didn't come back until Saturday night either—wouldn't talk about where he was. Did you kidnap him?" Colin smirked and Rosemary's eyes grew wide as she looked at the brunette sitting next to her.

"Spill!"

The moment Rory chose to open her mouth was also the moment the professor decided to start class. The diligent student that she was Rory began taking notes and participating as usual, some of her answers shocking her new friends. When class ended an hour later Rosemary picked up where she had left off. "Spill!"

"Coffee?" Rory requested. She was not going to get through both the explanation and the myriad of questions that would come after it without more coffee—a lot more coffee.

"As long as it gets me details, sure. Colin?" Rosemary looked at him to see if he wanted to come along.

"I'm in. I want details too. Logan wouldn't say anything!"

As they started walking towards a café near campus Rory began to wonder if there was some reason that Logan hadn't told Colin and Finn about what happened over the weekend. She didn't know if he was just protecting his reputation or he really didn't want to share anything. Rory thought about calling him to find out what his deal was but decided against it. Rosemary and Colin would find it a suspicious and automatically think she was lying to them and she wasn't sure if she really _wanted_ to call Logan. Tracking him down on Friday had been hard enough for her. Truthfully Rory hadn't recovered from the feelings left behind from Logan's departure from Stars Hollow.

"What do you want? Rory!" Rosemary shouted at the girl who seemed to be lost in her own thoughts.

"The usual Kathy," Rory said with a smile at the woman behind the counter.

"You have a usual at the coffee shop?" Colin asked incredulously.

"Yeah. Is there something wrong with that?" The three moved to a table by the window to wait for their order and talk.

"No, not really…"

"Details please." Rosemary was dancing a bit in her seat, obviously impatient to start the story. It was like a movie to her.

"I don't really understand what you're expecting me to tell you. It was a dinner party my grandmother threw for my grandfather's business, she wanted me to bring a date so I asked Logan."

"Yeah, we got that, but it's big news that he _cancelled another date_ to go to some society dinner with you. Logan doesn't do that. Maybe for me and Steph if we _beg_ him and I really do mean beg."

"Why did you ask Logan?" Colin wanted to know.

Rory shrugged and took a sip of her coffee. "Why not?"

"What happened at dinner?" Rosemary questioned.

"The normal stuff. My grandmother believes we're madly in love and is planning a June wedding two years from now—we can live together my senior year."

The other two laughed at Rory's explanation of her grandmother—it was expected at these society dinners. "Who can you live with your senior year?" Steph asked as she pulled up a chair. She had been walking by the café when she saw the trio through the window and decided to join them.

"Logan and Rory. They're getting married in two years."

"What?" Steph's eyes immediately went to Rory's left ring finger.

"He's kidding Steph. My grandmother is currently planning my wedding to Logan that's all."

"And she's doing this why?" She was obviously out of the loop.

Rory sighed. "I took Logan to a dinner party my grandmother threw Friday night. She thinks that we're madly in love."

"Who are you madly in love with doll? Huntzberger?"

Rory groaned. "Do you guys ever do anything alone or are you _always_ together?" The question was rhetorical even though she kind of wanted an answer.

"We're always together." Logan's voice completed the group—or at least the group as Rory liked it.

"Great now all we need is the one who hates me so she can shoot daggers my way as I repeat myself for the umpteenth time and the afternoon will be complete."

"What are you talking about Ace?" Logan looked at her like she was crazy. He had been heading for the pub, figuring that's where he would find Colin and Finn when he saw everyone sitting in a café talking with Rory. Thinking that they would be hounding her for details he decided to join them and help her out.

"Nothing. Don't worry about it."

"So who are you madly in love with doll?" Finn repeated his earlier question having not forgotten he never got an answer.

She drained the last of her coffee and stood. "I can't do this without more caffeine. Hold on." Standing up she headed to the counter and began to chat with the woman behind it as she poured her two more cups of coffee, one in a to go cup.

"Are you going somewhere?" Steph asked when Rory returned with both a mug and the paper cup.

"Nope."

"Then why the paper?" Colin asked.

"This way I don't have to get up again and the sweet, sweet coffee won't get cold."

"Wow. That's…" Finn was thoroughly amused. "Are you going to answer my question or should I ask again?"

"I thought maybe you would have forgotten it."

"No such luck doll." Finn sent her a grin.

"According to my grandmother Logan and I are madly in love."

"Oh really? What made her say this?" Finn raised his eyebrows and looked back and forth between Rory and Logan before looking at the others.

"I brought Logan to the business dinner she threw for my grandfather Friday night," Rory explained. "That's the last time I'm going to say that part of the story. If you want to hear it again ask Logan, he was there."

"Wow Ace, a little grumpy this afternoon?"

"You don't even know," she mumbled as she searched through her purse for her ringing phone. "Paris is evil," Rory said once she located the ringing object and answered the call.

"Rome is funny." Lorelai began laughing at her own joke. "What did Paris do?"

"Kept me up until two o'clock in the morning talking about _Doyle_! And I had class at eight!" The Gilmore girls cherished their sleep and did not like staying up late unless they could sleep in the next day.

"Off with her head!" Lorelai ordered, satisfied when she heard her daughter laugh. "What are you doing now?"

"Sitting in the café surrounded by Logan and company." It was easier then saying everyone's name.

"Interesting. I thought you were ignoring…"

"Don't finish that sentence!" Rory cut her mother off and was relieved when she noticed no one was paying attention to her. "Why'd you call?"

"I'm hurt! I can't just call to speak to my daughter!"

"You're such a drama major," Rory joked.

"Thank you."

"Now, reason?" She waited for her mother to spit out the ridiculous reason for her phone call.

"Well, Sookie and I have been arguing about the interview…you know, for the article on the inn Blondie's dad is going to write."

Rory couldn't hold in her laughter and it got everyone to focus on her again—she cursed herself. "Oh yeah? What are you arguing about?" This ought to be good.

"Well Katie Hudson called me today and told me that Mr. Huntzberger was bringing a food critic with him so we've been discussing the different dishes that should be served and that turned into an argument about the table settings which got Michel involved."

"That's never good."

"Exactly! Now we're arguing about what I should wear and if we should even have the interview _at_ the inn!"

"Why wouldn't you have it at the inn?" She was confused.

"I don't know! Maybe that's not the best place. Maybe he should interview me in his office or something more appropriate…"

"Mom! Mom! Lorelai!" Rory shouted into the phone to get her mother's attention. "You really need to calm down about this whole thing. It's going to be okay—it's only an article. You'll hold the interview at the inn, you'll conduct it in the actually in because that's why he's there. To write about The Dragonfly; he can't write about it if he's not there. Maybe you should offer him and his wife as well as the food critic and whomever a night at the inn either before or after so they could get the full experience. Though that may not be ethical…" Rory was thinking out loud and ignoring everyone at the table who was looking at her funny. "Well, you can suggest it, they can always turn it down if they feel it's unethical. Sookie will make the most amazing meal, which isn't hard because everything she makes is amazing and you will look amazing. Don't worry."

"How do you know that?'

"I'm your daughter."

"No, how do you know I'm going to look fabulous?"

Rory laughed at how concerned her mother sounded over that detail. "Because I'm going to come home and help you pick out an 'interview appropriate' outfit."

"Such a good daughter. How do you know it's going to be a good interview? What if I say something awful like call my mother Adolf or compare her to Stalin or something? Would he print something like that?"

"Why would he really be asking a lot of questions about Grandma and Grandpa? They're not involved in the inn in any way, they shouldn't be a big topic of conversation. And you won't say something like that because you'll stop yourself."

"How do you know though? Sometimes I just get started on a topic and then rant and get sidetracked and before I know it…"

"When's the interview?" Rory asked with a sigh.

"Thursday at two o'clock," Lorelai said in a hopeful voice.

"It'll be okay because I'll be there."

"Really?" It was obviously what Lorelai had been going for the entire time.

"Yes really. I'll stick around and make sure everything goes smoothly. Make up some excuse like I want to learn interviewing tips from the best. I'm sure he'll love it."

"Lying to the newspaper man? Oh, that's impressive," Lorelai teased her. "Michel! Stop!" Lorelai yelled half into the phone and half towards Michel. "I gotta go hun, talk to you later!"

Rory hung up the phone and let out a heavy sigh. "Is there a reason that everyone is so afraid of your father?" She asked Logan while ignoring everyone else.

"Is there a reason why you're not?" He looked straight into her eyes and held contact.

"Why should I be? It's not like he's scary or something."

Logan laughed. "You're truly one of the few people that think that. Most people are terrified of my father if only because he could crush their careers with one little article or phone call."

"Right. Maybe I'll try and remember that."

"Your mom's scared?" Logan found that funny.

"I don't know if she's scared of him or the actual interview itself. She thinks she'll say something inappropriate, which is completely possible knowing my mother. She'll be nervous in general."

"Right. So now that we know all about your mother's interview with the older Huntzberger, let's get back to you and the young Huntzberger. So Friday night?" Finn looked back and forth between the two.

"You want to take this one?" Logan gestured with his hand.

"Sure, thanks _hun_." Rory stressed the word and glared at him—everyone laughed.

**GGGGG**

Thursday afternoon found Rory sitting in The Dragonfly trying to calm her mother down. It wasn't working. She had worked on Sookie for a short while before deciding calming her mother down might be something a little bit more important.

"Everything will be fine Mom. Promise."

"I don't know. I've never given an interview before. This isn't going to be good. I should call and cancel!"

"What? Mom! Sit down." She pulled on Lorelai's arm until the older woman took her seat again. "Mitchum is going to be here any minute, you can't cancel now. Besides, Sookie would kill you if you cancel now; she's made all that food."

"Did she? That's great. We're starved."

The Gilmore girls turned around at the male voice and it was Rory who managed to speak up first. "Hi Mitchum, how are you?" She stood and shook his head.

"Good to see you again Rory, nice to know that your manners are in tact." He referred to their last meeting with levity.

Rory smiled at him. "My grandmother would be proud." Her mother cleared her throat and Rory blushed. "Well, maybe not as proud as I would have hoped. Mitchum Huntzberger I'd like you to meet my mother and co-owner of The Dragonfly Inn, Lorelai Gilmore. Mom, this is Mitchum Huntzberger."

"It's a pleasure to meet you Lorelai." Mitchum gave her what Rory thought of as Logan's trademark smile and shook Lorelai's outstretched hand.

"You too Mr. Huntzberger, I've heard quite a bit about you, I can't thank you enough for writing this article."

"Oh please, no thanks are needed, we always like to keep on top of the new places in the area. And call me Mitchum, I insist. I'd like you both to meet my food critic Jonathan Richter."

"Nice to meet you," Rory said. "Let me get the chef for you while you all get situated." She stood and headed for the kitchen, returning a moment later with a nervous Sookie in tow. "Sookie, this is Mitchum Huntzberger and Jonathan Richter. Gentlemen, I'd like you to meet the best chef on the Eastern Seaboard, Sookie St. James."

"Hi." Sookie's bubbly personally shone through and she shook both of their hands. "I'd stay but I don't want anything to happen to meal, I'll see you later. Enjoy!" She scurried off to the kitchen and Lorelai laughed, catching the men's attention.

"Sookie is a perfectionist. The last time she was pregnant she was confined to bed rest, had yet to pick out a replacement and hid herself in one of the rooms upstairs so one of the chefs could bring her up different dishes to taste. She wanted to make sure her temporary replacement for that evening was doing a good job." Everyone laughed and a waiter came over with the first course.

"So Lorelai, has it always been your dream to run your own inn?" Mitchum asked as they made their way through the first course. He had explained to Lorelai that he would be taping the interview since that would ensure he got her words correctly rather then write everything she said down. Lorelai had laughed when he finished, telling him that was probably better since she tended to speak quickly. Mitchum had laughed, telling her that he figured Rory had picked up that trait from someplace.

Lorelai looked at her daughter with a smile before responding to the question. "Yes. I've had this goal in mind since I was 17 years old."

Mitchum chuckled. "It's nice to see determination like that. Sticking to your dreams instead of going with what would make you the most money. Why has this been your dream?"

"Oh, well, I started working at The Independence Inn not long after Rory was born. I was a maid at first." Lorelai laughed as she recalled those days. Trying to clean and organize the bedrooms at the inn while having a newborn was not easy but Mia had always been really good about that.

"Really?" Mitchum raised his brows at that. "How did you manage working like that with a newborn?"

"The woman who owned the inn, Mia, was my surrogate mother. She would help take care of Rory while I worked." Mother and daughter shared a smile over their old friend.

"Where were your parents?" It wasn't that Mitchum didn't know—he wanted Lorelai's take. He noticed her shoot Rory a worried glance and Rory give her an encouraging smile before Lorelai continued.

"Oh well, I left home not long after Rory was born. My parents were concerned about a 17-year-old raising a baby and I found the environment stifling. Rory was my responsibility and I knew I could take care of her."

"And Rory's father?" Mitchum prodded.

"Excuse me? How does he factor into my success at The Dragonfly?" Lorelai glared at Mitchum, Rory's face identical. Rory said nothing however, this wasn't her interview.

"I apologize, it was uncalled for." Mitchum retracted his question as someone came to removed the plates and announce the next course was not far behind. "You're the co-owner of The Dragonfly, correct?"

Lorelai nodded. "Yes. My best friend, and chef, Sookie, owns the other part."

"Do you find it difficult working with your best friend?"

"Not really. Sookie and I get along really well. We had been talking about opening our own inn for years, the plans had been set, we just needed the money."

"And you didn't ask your parents for a loan?"

"I haven't depended on my parents financially for years, I wasn't going to start asking for money to open my own business."

"It would have been a wise investment for them, would it not?" Mitchum asked while noting her somewhat hostile tone.

"Yes, it would be, but I would never ask them to. Ever. Oh look, the next part of the meal." Lorelai let out a sigh of relief when the food came out, hoping that it would shut Mitchum up for the time being. While she was overjoyed that he was going to write something about The Dragonfly she did not think he would be asking all of these personal questions. None of this had any relevance to her success, at least in her mind it didn't.

"Who do you consider the biggest influence in your life?"

"The Bangles," Lorelai answered without missing a beat. She and Rory looked at each other while going into a fit of giggles.

Mitchum sat back and took notes as he watched mother and daughter sharing a moment of some sorts, though how The Bangles, whoever they were, constituted a moment between the two he did not understand. "Who?" He asked them, effectively getting them to stop laughing.

"Did you just ask who The Bangles are?" Lorelai asked, completely shocked.

"Not everyone understands every pop culture reference we make mom," Rory pointed out. She had been quiet during the interview thus far but couldn't hold this back.

"But it's The Bangles Rory, _The Bangles_," she stressed. "Who doesn't know about The Bangles?"

"One who wasn't 16 in the '80s," Rory answered. "No offense," she said with a smile at Mitchum.

"None taken, I certainly won't deny I wasn't 16 during the '80s." He returned her smile and continued taking notes.

"The Bangles were, and are, one of mom's favorite bands. She was listening to them the night she went into labor with me."

"You just wanted to hear them for yourself," she retorted with a grin.

"You know me so well."

"Well, you know, it must come from that whole carrying you around in my body for nine months thing."

"Yeah, that could have something to do with it," Rory answered in kind. She loved her mother.

After mention of The Bangles, the interview seemed to get back on track, Mitchum restrained from answering any more questions purposely related to the Gilmore family or Rory's father. While Lorelai answered the questions expertly, Rory sat back and took mental notes on how a _real_ reporter interviews their subject.


	10. An Offer I Can't Refuse

Chapter 10: An Offer I Can't Refuse

**Chapter 10: An Offer I Can't Refuse**

Rory was sitting in the newsroom a week after her mother's interview simply staring at her computer. She was watching it so intently that someone may have thought she had fallen asleep with her eyes open. Other reporters had been casting stray glances at her, not wanting to be caught staring; everyone wanted to know what she had been staring at for the past 20 minutes. There was only one reporter brave enough to interrupt her love affair with her computer screen.

"Thinking about running away together Ace?" Logan shocked her out of her reverie with his words as he leaned on her desk. He had entered the newsroom to find it busy, as usual, but everyone casting glances in Rory's direction every few seconds. He had questioned one or two people to discover she had been in a catatonic state for quite some time and no one knew what was going on. He hadn't spoken to her since that afternoon in the coffee shop and Logan decided now was the time.

"What?" Rory's eyes shifted from the screen to Logan, surprised that he was even there. "What are you doing here Huntzberger?"

"Well, since it's the newsroom, I'm thinking maybe writing about the news."

"You write?" Rory teased him. Even since they had been introduced they had the same conversation every time they ran into each other at the paper.

"Yes! I write!" Logan tried to sound indignant and as usual this is when Rory broke down in laughter and Logan joined her. "So why was everyone staring at you discreetly?"

"They were staring at me?" She had no idea that people had been watching her, she had been looking at the screen ever since she walked in—almost a half hour ago, she noted when she looked at the clock.

"That's what it looked like. What's so interesting?" Logan's interest was peeked, he was going to find out what was going on.

"Oh, well…" Rory wasn't sure if she should continue.

"Come on, just tell me…" Logan saw her reluctance and was surprised by it.

"Look for yourself," Rory said on a sigh. Logan turned around so he could look at her screen and his jaw dropped.

"Are you serious?"

"I don't know, am I? Could I be making this up?"

"He really sent you…" Logan couldn't believe it. As far as he knew his father didn't do this. With anyone.

"Read the note he sent." Rory went back to the original email for Logan to look at it.

_Rory—_

_I thought you may want a preview of the article I'm writing about The Dragonfly Inn. I hope it's what you expected, please read, review and if need be, edit it, and send it back; I'd love to hear what you thought. _

_Sincerely,_

_Mitchum Huntzberger_

_P.S. Please don't show this to your mother, I would like her to be surprised._

"Are you serious?" Logan could not grasp what he was reading. He was currently looking at Rory's computer screen the same way she had been for the past 30 minutes.

"Do you really think someone is pretending to be your father sending me a preview of the article he wrote about my mother's business for me to proofread?" Rory asked him incredulously.

"Right. You're right. Of course you're right. I can't believe this. I don't think my father has given anyone his article to proof read since he was in college. And even then that lasted until he became editor and chief of the paper. You've got to tell me your secret Ace, how in the world did you do it?"

"Do what?" Rory asked, following Logan's speedy answer.

"You wrapped my father around your finger. This is just further proof to that. You have to tell me. I'm his son and he treats you better than me, probably better than Honor and she's his daughter. It just isn't fair!"

"Why don't you throw a tantrum about it?" Rory said with a grin. She was getting a clear picture of what Logan was like when he was a little boy—that was if he was allowed to pout and throw a tantrum.

"Okay! I will! Thanks for your permission! Do you want to ask my father about it first?" Logan glared at her.

"What's your problem Huntzberger? Seriously. It's not like I asked the man to like me. I was extremely rude the first time that we met, forgot my manners and everything. I can't do anything about how he treats me, I didn't do anything to deserve it." Rory was annoyed and she knew that Logan could tell. Signing out of her account, she gathered her bag and headed for the door.

Logan watched as Rory gathered her things and left the newsroom in a huff. Immediately he felt bad and went chasing after her. "Ace! Ace! Hey Rory, stop!" He was calling after her, catching up quickly because she wasn't even running, but she was ignoring him. "I'm sorry about that."

"It's fine. Don't worry about it. I don't care." Her voice was flat and monotone. She obviously wasn't fine. She was just saying that.

"You're lying. You know it and I know it. Don't lie, it's not attractive." Logan knew that she would react to that. And right he was.

"Of all the! I can't believe you! You're ridiculous! What a sexist comment!"

"Sexist?" Logan was amused by that comment.

"YES, SEXIST!" She yelled at him. "You're being sexist, annoying, and…and… a butt faced miscreant!" Rory continued yelling, happy to see that not only were they in front of her room but Paris had heard the yelling and opened the door. This action saved her from having to listen to his rebuttal while searching for her keys. Paris moved aside as she stormed into their room and slammed the bedroom door behind her.

"What in the hell just happened?" Paris looked at Logan and waited for an answer.

"She just called me a…a…"

"Butt faced miscreant, yes I heard that," Paris said with impatience in her voice. "My question is _why_ did she call you that?" A smile crossed Paris' face as she remembered the days that Rory used to argue with Tristan in the hallways of Chilton. She could hear her friend calling the other blonde that had liked her the same exact thing; maybe Huntzberger would fair differently, but things weren't looking up at this point.

"She's annoyed at me. That's all. She'll get over it. I guess I'll be going now."

"Bye Huntzberger." Paris closed the door as Logan walked away and headed for the room when Rory threw the door open herself.

"Is he gone?" She asked.

"Yes. You want to tell me what happened?" Paris looked at her friend amused.

"I'm not enjoying the face Geller," Rory said with attitude.

"What in the world is your problem? Maybe I should get Huntzberger back here and you two can argue until you have make-up sex and get out all this pent-up frustration."

"Excuse me?" Rory glared at her "friend" and moved towards the door. "Huntzberger, if you're standing at the door you better be gone by the time it opens!" Rory said sternly as she pulled the door open.

"What did Huntz do to bug you this time?" Finn asked her with a lazy smile. He was leaning against the door jam and she just wanted to slap him.

"He's just breathing," Rory mumbled. "What can I do for you Finn?" Rory stared at him, somewhat bored, wanting to go bury herself in her books.

"I'm here to drag you out to dinner with us."

"I don't think that's the best idea," Rory started, "I have a lot of work to do tonight. I don't have time for dinner."

"You always have time for dinner," Paris remarked, throwing Finn Rory's purse. "It's against the rules you and your mother have to not have time for a meal. Besides, you don't have anything due tomorrow that you haven't already completed. Go out. Now." Paris pushed Rory into the hallway and slammed the door behind her.

"Interesting roommate you've got there love," Finn commented as he handed Rory her purse and wrapped his arm around her shoulders while leading them out of the dorm.

"I know. I can't get rid of her though," Rory told him. "Finn? Where are we going? I'm really not in the mood…"

"Well then you'll get along famously with Huntz, he's not in a good mood either. Though, from what I've observed you've put each other in these rotten moods, maybe you can get each other out of them as well." Finn was rambling knowing that if he took a breath or let go of her she would find a way to get out of dinner. He wasn't about to let that happen.

"_He's_ coming?" Rory asked with disgust. It was getting harder to be disgusted, she liked Logan…a lot. He just got on her nerves this afternoon, her extremely frazzled nerves.

"What's your problem with him?" Finn questioned. They had been perfectly fine last time he had seen them together. Granted that was a week ago, but that didn't really mean anything. They had watched as Logan stared at his phone multiple times this weekend, obviously trying to decide if he should call Rory and invite her out with them. Not that Logan would ever tell them that's what he was doing but Finn had seen him staring at the highlighted entry on his phone, fingering the send button as if he wasn't sure if he could do it or not. Huntz was in deep and wouldn't admit it.

Not that he should be surprised over that idea either. Logan Huntzberger didn't do girlfriends—none of them did. They had all been burned badly at one point and gave up girlfriends after that. They were more trouble then they were worth. After all, their parents would all find someone suitable and force them to marry so why did they need to look for the perfect one? The boys had decided many years ago that they would have a good time while they could. Of course no one would have ever thought Logan would be the first to fall. Actually, they both had expected Colin to fall first—and he would fall—the minute he realized that he was deeply in love with Stephanie that is.

"He's a butt-faced miscreant!" Rory exclaimed, glaring at Finn when he started laughing at her.

"So _that's_ what he was muttering under his breath?" He posed the rhetorical question more to himself then her. "Colin grabbed him before he went inside and I volunteered to come get you. Now come on, in you go." Finn opened the door to his SUV and lifted her into it, closing it and getting into the driver's seat. He figured she could buckle herself in.

"Where are we going Finn?" Rory asked in an extremely bothered tone.

"Do you give _anyone_ a break?" Logan asked from next to her. She hadn't noticed him there and groaned. Instead of answering him she shut her mouth and buckled up, not knowing what crazy thing Finn would do on the road this time. "What? All of the sudden you're not going to talk? Wow, alert the media! Or maybe we should just call my father, what do you think?"

"I think you're a butt faced miscreant!" Rory screamed at him.

"You've already said that. Try coming up with something new!" Logan gave her an evil grin and Rory stuck her tongue out at him. "Oh, cause that's real mature."

"Like you're any better," Stephanie chimed in.

"Stay out of it!" They both yelled at her.

Stephanie shrunk back in her seat and Rory faintly heard Rosemary's comment. "At least they agree on _something_, there's a chance for a happy meal this evening." Rory snorted.

"I wouldn't count on it," she mumbled and then groaned as she heard her phone ring. "I really don't have energy for this," she said more to herself then anyone else once she had looked at the called ID. "Hello?"

"Rory?"

"Yes." She was being short and she knew it. She also knew that she would get her ear chewed off for it, but she didn't care. Rory was royally annoyed.

"Is that anyway to talk to your grandmother?"

"I don't know, I'll call Grandma and ask if that was the appropriate response for the woman who blamed me for everything that went wrong in her family. Or is the blame solely on my mother?" Rory took a breath and let out what some may think of as a growl. "I don't have patience for this. Goodbye." She hung up the phone and stared at it. The car was completely quiet. They had heard her end of the conversation no doubt. Everyone was shocked at the way she had spoken to the other person on the phone, they had never heard Rory quite that rude before. "Five, four, three, two…" Rory counted down out loud as she stared at the phone in her hand. "One," she said just as the phone rang.

"That's blood brilliant," she heard Finn say.

"Yes?" She answered the phone. It would be one of three people, all depending on who Francine decided to call and yell at first.

"That wasn't very nice you know." It was her father.

"So? I didn't feel like being very nice. She wasn't very nice to me the last time I saw her. Which was three years ago, by the way, so why do I have to be nice?"

"Because she's your grandmother." Rory snorted in response. "You're more like your mother every day."

"Thank you," Rory answered him. She moved the phone away from her ear when the call waiting clicked. "I have to go, Grandma's on the other line. Bye Dad." She clicked the button to get over to her grandmother. "Yes Grandma?"

"I thought we raised you better than that!" Emily started on her tirade immediately. "That's unacceptable behavior! You call and apologize to her right now!"

"I'll apologize to her right after she apologizes to me for everything that she and her husband said the last time we were all the same room together." Rory's attitude wasn't okay with Emily Gilmore.

"Lorelai Leigh Gilmore!" Emily began her rant her.

"Grandma, mom is on the other line. Your can continue your verbal assault on how I am a disgrace to the family name on Friday." Without waiting for an answer she clicked the phone again. "Hi."

"Did you ever know that you're my hero? You're everything I wish I could be, I can fly higher then an eagle, for you are the wind beneath my wings," Lorelai sang out when Rory answered the phone. The rest of the car could hear her and started to laugh. "Are there people with you?"

"Finn kidnapped me," Rory told her mother with a pout.

"Again?"

"Again," Rory confirmed.

"I think Paris needs to give you Krav Maga lessons," Lorelai said.

"Might not be a bad idea," Rory agreed.

"So I hear I raised you to be a rude, ungrateful, misguided, insolent young woman," Lorelai started the conversation.

"Grandma or Dad?" Rory asked with a sigh.

"You really think your father would say that about you?" Lorelai asked with shock.

"Who knows when he's concerned?"

"Point," Lorelai said. "Have no fear because it wasn't him, he was actually impressed with you. He couldn't imagine saying something like that to his mother, he wants lessons." Rory laughed. "Your grandmother however, she was less than happy."

"I'm sure she's trying to call you back at this very moment to tell you how rude I was to _her_ on the phone and you're ignoring the call waiting."

"You're good."

"Thanks. I am your daughter."

"True. What'd you say to her?"

"Which one?"

"Adolph."

Once again Rory laughed. "I told her that I didn't have to listen to her verbally assault me and she could continue at dinner on Friday."

"Wow! You really are my hero. If I knew another song about heros I would be singing it now!"

"Thank god for small favors." Everyone laughed at the comment.

"Hey! Who sang The Bangles to you as a baby? _Eternal Flame _was the perfect lullaby!"

"I'm sure Grandma would disagree."

"She would disagree with anything I say," Lorelai pointed out. "Are you okay?" She knew how Rory hated to talk to her paternal grandmother. Until the woman apologized for their last meeting Rory wasn't going to give her the time of day—not even if Christopher asked her.

"Yeah. I don't know why she called, part of me is curious, but the other 99.8 doesn't care," Rory paused, "Dad would have told me if it was something serious, right? If something had happened to his father and all?" Rory was worried now.

"I'm sure he would have sweetie, don't worry about it. I'll call him and make sure nothing's wrong if you want."

"Thanks mom."

"Welcome. I'm very proud of you."

The worry left Rory's face as a grin crossed it. "Thanks! Me too. I should go now though, Finn stopped the car so I'm guessing we're at dinner."

"Have a good time, forget about them, okay?"

"Sure mom. Love you."

"Love you too kid."

Rory hung up the phone and took a deep breath. "Finn?" She called out. They were all still sitting in the car.

"Yes love?"

"There's going to be alcohol, right?"

Everyone laughed but Finn answered anyway. "Of course doll."

"Good. I need alcohol, lots and lots of alcohol." Rory was about to open the door when she felt Logan clasp the hand that was closest to him. She looked over at him strangely and he gave her a small smile. She returned it briefly before allowing him to drag her out of the car and into the restaurant.

**GGGGG**

"Rory Gilmore," she answered the phone on her desk.

"Rory, Mitchum Huntzberger."

"Mitchum! How are you?" She looked across the room where Logan was sitting and noticed him looking at her when she said his father's name. Rory looked at him, eyebrows raised silently asking him if he knew what this was about but Logan only shook his head.

"I'm fine Rory, how are you?"

"Just fine thank you. To what do I owe the honor of this phone call?"

"I was hoping to set up a meeting with you at my office. Do you think we can do that?"

"Um…sure. When?" Rory searched through her bag until she found her planner.

"The sooner the better," he told her.

"Tomorrow afternoon? My classes are over by one. I usually come to the paper after that but I'm sure if I tell Doyle where I'm going he'll be okay with it. He may kill me because of it, but he'll let me go."

Mitchum laughed. "I doubt he would kill you, wouldn't want to look bad in front of me and all."

"Very true," she answered. "Does that work for you? I can be there by 1:45."

"That sounds great Rory. I'm looking forward to it."

"I'll see you tomorrow Mitchum." She hung up the phone a moment later and stared at Logan "Your father called me _personally_ to set up a meeting at his office tomorrow afternoon. What is this about?"

"No clue Ace." Logan watched her facial expression as she freaked out. "Scared?" He remembered how she laughed at her mother being scared about the interview with his father.

"No…not really…well…yes!" Rory changed her mind several times.

"Come on, I think you need a drink." Logan moved to her desk and put her things in her bag before pulling her out of the chair. Dinner two nights ago had turned out well. They "made up" and everyone made sure Rory was drunk by the end of the night. Of course they wanted to ask her all kinds of questions about the phone calls in the car, the only one they really understood was with her mother, but no one would do that. Rory wasn't one to share so easily. They thought the alcohol might induce the conversation but it didn't. "Are you going to be okay?"

They had been sitting at the pub for over an hour—Logan was actually surprised no one else had come by to join them—and Rory had taken two sips of the beer he'd gotten for her. She asked for beer, told him to get whatever he thought she'd like and he thought he'd done that. Maybe not.

"I'm fine. Thanks. Sorry I'm not much for the conversation. How was your day?" Rory had no interest in talking about herself today. She had a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach and was hoping to make it go away.

"It was fine." Logan studied her trying to figure out what was going on in that pretty little head of hers. He would have never pinned her as someone that would get this freaked out by meeting his father—especially since they got along. "Hey Ace?" He waited for her to look at him before continuing. "Why does this meeting with my father freak you out? You two get along and everything."

"Don't know," Rory said with a shrug. She thought for a moment longer and amended her statement. "Actually, I guess it's just the other times I've met and seen your father were by coincidence, okay so maybe not for mom's interview, but you know what I mean; there was no pressure, no hidden agenda or questions or anything because it was unexpected. Now, _now_, there is a formal meeting time and place set up. I have time to take in all the things you and your friends and everyone else has said about your father and worry about what he's going to say tomorrow."

Logan's answer was to rest his hand on top of hers while smiling. "Trust me Ace, out of all people seeing my father today, tomorrow, and in the future, you probably have the least to worry about."

**GGGGG**

"Can I help you?" The young woman sitting behind the desk looked up at Rory with a blank expression.

"Yes I have a meeting with Mitch—Mr. Huntzberger at 1:45; Rory Gilmore." She watched as the woman, most likely Katie, looked at the appointment book to confirm what she had said.

"Alright Miss Gilmore, if you could have a seat I'll let Mr. Huntzberger know that you're here." Katie smiled somewhat fakely and picked up the phone to inform Mitchum of Rory's arrival.

A few minutes later, Mitchum entered the waiting room and smiled towards Rory. "Miss Gilmore, how nice to see you. Sorry to keep you waiting, why don't we go into my office?" Rory stood and smiled unable to get a word in before Mitchum started speaking again. "Can I get you anything? Water? Coffee?"

"Coffee would be great actually." Rory knew that coffee would settle both her nerves and the internal battle going on about what to do with her hands. When Katie appeared a moment later with two cups of coffee Rory once again smiled at him. "How has your day been going?" She questioned, wanting to start with something neutral since she had no idea what he wanted from her.

"Oh you know how it is, the news never sleeps." They shared a laugh. "I'm sure you're wondering why I've asked you to come by this afternoon."

Rory sipped her coffee and gave him a weak smile. "Well yes, the question has entered my mind."

Mitchum chuckled softly before continuing. "I've been looking over your work at YDN and I must say I'm very impressed Miss Gilmore. I've read your articles before but going over them once again, in my current situation, put them in a new light."

"Your current situation?" Rory inquired, that was a leading statement if she'd ever heard one.

"Things have gotten hectic around here, too many of the reporters have decided to move on to something bigger and left us shorthanded. I've been looking for new reporters as well as interns." She watched him intently, now having a slight idea what he wanted her there for this afternoon and not truly believing it. "I'm not sure if you've filled in the blanks yet or not Miss Gilmore, but I'd like to offer you a paying internship at the Stamford Gazette—you can think of it as a freelance position if you wish."

Rory stared at him. She figured those were the words that would come out of his mouth but still she was not prepared for them. At all. She was watching him as if he were going to grow another head or spontaneously combust or even start laughing and retract his offer. "I'm sorry," she started, "am I on candid camera?"

That was a pop culture reference that Mitchum did understand—his laughter showed it. "No, you're not on candid camera. Do you think I'm joking?"

"I'm not sure. Where's Ashton Kutcher?" She began looking around Mitchum's office as if she thought the Punk'd host was going to hop out from behind the couch.

"Excuse me?" There was a reference he _didn't _understand.

"Host of a celebrity version of candid camera for the 21st century."

"Ah." Mitchum nodded. "Well I assure you that no one is going to come out from anywhere and start laughing at you." Rory was just staring at him now. "Miss Gilmore? Rory? What do you think? Want to try working at a real paper?" He had a teasing smile on his face, a smile that she wondered if anyone in his family had ever seen. Logan must have seen it once or twice since that was the same smile he gave her most of the time, but it could also be genetics.

"I…well…it sounds…"

"This doesn't bode well for me," he said with a laugh. "I just offered a freelance/internship position to a young lady who can't even finish her sentences!"

Rory joined his laughter. "I apologize, I'm usually much more articulate, I just didn't expect this."

"Why not? What were you expecting?"

"I had no idea. Your son and his friends had some though."

"Yes, Logan and his friend do tend to exaggerate, please remember that—particularly when it comes to me." Rory nodded her head in comprehension. "So? What do you say?"

"I say…when do I start?" Rory had a wide grin on his face.

"Wonderful! Let's talk details…"

**GGGGG**

When Logan had dropped her off at her room yesterday they had made plans to meet, with everyone else of course, after the meeting with his father. He told her it should only last a half hour **at most** and that everyone would be waiting at the pub. It was their usual hang out, it had constant alcohol to appease Finn, good food and a decent atmosphere. They had been sitting at the table for almost an hour with no sign of Rory.

"Are you sure that the meeting was for 1:45?" Colin asked.

Logan nodded. "I was sitting across from her when she made it. I figured she'd be back by now, even with traffic. I wonder what's going on." They sat there talking for yet another hour and a half before Rory came in and dropped into the open chair next to Logan. "Should I take that as a good sign or a bad one?" He asked her immediately.

"I don't know, depends on how you look at how I spent the last two hours, not including the traffic on the way back here of course. Stupid people can't drive! It took me an extra 15 minutes because of the morons of the streets!" Rory declared obviously full of road rage.

"Hear, hear!" Finn called out, raising his glass in her direction.

"So?" Logan hadn't taken his eyes off her, he was dying to know what went on.

"Your father made me an offer I couldn't refuse," she said with a grin.

"Excuse me?" He didn't know how to respond to something like that. His father could have offered her anything from buying her a newspaper to promising that he Logan would marry her once they graduate.

"Your father offered me an internship/freelance position at the Stamford Gazette."

"Really?" He hadn't expected that.

"Yup!"

"And you took it?"

"Yup!"

"Congratulations Ace, you definitely deserve it!" Logan reached over and hugged her. "This calls for a celebration! Another round of drinks!" He declared and Finn seconded the request immediately. Logan decided that he wasn't going to think of all the things his father could possibly do to her while at this internship, well he would think about them but he wouldn't voice them. He didn't want to ruin her good mood, for she was definitely in a good mood.


	11. A Real Newspaper

Chapter 11: A Real Newspaper

**Chapter 11: A Real Newspaper**

Rory was two weeks into her "job" and she loved it. Mitchum was actually turning out to be a great boss. He obviously believed in her talent because he was constantly giving her work, both intern kind of things and small pieces that were getting published. The article on The Dragonfly came out the first week she was there and Rory had to spend a lot of time convincing her mother that she didn't need to pick her up from work and personally thank Mitchum for everything that he wrote. Rory also had to convince Lorelai that sending a fruit basket or chocolate or a voucher for the inn would be wrong and unethical. People would think that she and Sookie had bribed Mitchum to write such wonderful things about them.

She had been seeing more of Logan over the past two weeks as well. Rory wasn't sure if Mitchum had said something to him or Logan just enjoyed her company but every time she turned around it seemed that the whole lot of them were there. Sometimes she thought they learned how to apparate. Unfortunately for Rory there were a few big tests coming up in the following week so besides going to all of her classes, everything for the YDN and Stamford Gazette she needed to study. That being the case she had been effectively avoiding Logan and friends. She would see them coming and duck into some building and they rarely came looking for her in library. The dorm was another safe place; they tried that approach once but Paris scared them off.

"Rory?" Mitchum's voice called over to her one afternoon.

"Hm?" She had been researching something for her next piece while looking over her lit notes and apparently was dozing.

"Could you come in here?" He asked her. His office was down the hall from hers, it just worked out that it was the only free desk.

With a groan that she hoped he couldn't hear, Rory dragged herself away from her desk and headed for her boss' office. "What's up?" She asked leaning against the door jam.

Mitchum looked her over and realized his son had been correct. He had called Logan this afternoon to see if he was even thinking about writing something for the YDN and to strongly encourage it. He knew no matter what he said to his son Logan wouldn't do it, but Mitchum needed to try. Shira also wanted Mitchum to relay the party information for a week from Friday. It was to be a nice event at their home; Mitchum wasn't looking forward to it but both his father and wife were so he played along. Before they hung up the phone Logan managed to ask him about Rory—how she was coping and all. He had been surprised by the question and told his son so. Apparently midterms were this week and Rory looked like she was running herself ragged.

Watching Rory slumping against the doorway alerted him to how stressed she really must be. "Are you okay?" He was watching her carefully, almost as if he thought she'd collapse without any notice.

"Been better, just a little stressed with school. Only two more midterms left. I hate school." She said the last bit with the voice of a little girl and Mitchum couldn't help but smile. He could see Honor running around the house, Shira yelling at her for whatever she had done and Honor pouting at him once he came through the door that evening. She could always get him to reverse whatever punishment Shira felt was necessary.

"How about you go home early? Better yet, come back Monday. Don't worry about the story—if it is on my desk Monday morning it's not getting printed—AT ALL." He knew that she would try to work from home. "Go study and get some sleep. Maybe spend the weekend with your mom at home."

"Okay." She didn't argue. Rory didn't care. She wanted to sleep for as long as humanly possible. Unfortunately sleep wasn't going to come until Friday. Ugh, Friday night dinner, she'd have to cancel that. "Thanks Mitchum, see you Monday." Rory left his office before he said anything, gathered her notes and headed for her car.

"Gilmore residence," the maid answered the phone as Rory threw her bag into the car and climbed in.

"Emily Gilmore please."

"Who's calling?"

Rory rolled her eyes. She didn't understand why her grandmother just couldn't answer the phone herself. "Her granddaughter."

"Rory?" Emily's voice came through the phone a minute later.

"Hi Grandma."

"How are you?"

"I've been better. Midterms are this week and I've been really busy. That's actually why I'm calling you."

"What's wrong?"

"Oh, nothing really, I was just hoping that you could excuse mom and me from this week. I'm exhausted from studying and it's only Wednesday."

"Why can't your mother come?"

"Because she's going to de-stress me." Rory stated plainly. She was not in the mood to make up excuses to her grandmother about why she wanted her mother to hang out with her. "Mom and I will watch movies and eat and I'll catch up on sleep."

Emily huffed. "Well if you really can't do all of that without your mother."

"Thanks Grandma. Love you." Rory hung up the phone before Emily could go into full rant mode. Pulling out of the parking spot Rory headed back to Yale while calling her mother.

"Fruit of my loins!" Lorelai answered with a smile.

"Hey mom."

"You sound awful. How are midterms?"

"I'm two from being done. I got us out of dinner this week."

"What?" Rory could see Lorelai's grin over the phone.

"I told Grandma that I was exhausted and wanted to spend Friday night eating and watching movies with you."

"What did she say to that?" Lorelai loved when Rory stood up to her grandmother.

"Oh, she didn't understand why you couldn't come by yourself, but I didn't give her time to start ranting. I thanked her and hung up."

"Good move!"

Rory moved the phone away from her ear when she heard the call waiting. "Ugh, that's Grandma on the other line, hold on mom." She clicked over and prepared herself for Emily Gilmore. "Hi Grandma."

"If you and your mother aren't coming this week then next week I expect you to attend a party your grandfather and I are attending. We were going to cancel on you next week but we don't want to miss you two weeks in a row. No argument." This time Emily hung up the phone before Rory could say anything.

"I hate your mother," Rory said immediately when she tuned back to her mom.

"Uh-oh, what did she do this time?" Lorelai tried to prepare herself but no one could ever be prepared for Emily Gilmore—it was physically and mentally impossible.

"Apparently they were going to cancel for next week but they don't want to go two weeks without seeing us so we must attend the party they're going to with them."

"What? I left their house so I didn't have to go to these stupid parties!" Lorelai began to complain. "Did she at least tell you where?"

"Nope. I guess she'll call next week and tell us." Rory pulled into a spot at school and turned off the car. "I should go mom; I'm back at school and stopping for some coffee on the way to the library. I'll talk to you later."

"Get some sleep kid!" Lorelai managed to get in before Rory hung up.

**GGGG**

"Aren't you done studying yet?"

"Logan!" Rory jumped at the sound of his voice. "Make a noise or something!"

Logan laughed. "Sorry Ace, didn't mean to scare you."

"What's up?" She hadn't really spoken to him, or anyone else this week and now that her exams were over the only thing Rory wanted to do was crawl into bed and sleep.

"You're finished studying, right?"

Slowly she nodded. "Yes. Why?"

"Because now you have no reason to turn down an evening with yours truly."

She looked at him skeptically. Why did he want to go out with her? What exactly was going on? Rory had been toying with her own feelings towards Logan since they had gone out to dinner with everyone a week or so ago, but she wasn't sure what she felt or even what she was going to do with those feelings. "Excuse me?"

"Let's go to dinner, celebrate the end of midterms and all."

"Dinner?"

"Wow, all of that studying must have really fried your brain. Yes, dinner." Logan shook his head at her and laughed.

"Don't laugh at me!" Rory said indignantly. "Why?"

"Well, you've got to eat at some point and you've been avoiding us all week so dinner shouldn't be that big of a deal. I know you understand the concept of a meal and all."

"Us? So we're going out with the others?" She was much more comfortable with that idea.

"For dinner, no, but afterwards probably," Logan confirmed.

"So just you and me for dinner?" She clarified.

"Yeah. The others all have stuff to do."

Rory nodded her understanding. "How about take-out and a movie in my dorm? I'm too exhausted to sit at a restaurant. We could do a real Gilmore girls movie night if the others don't mind staying in."

"Do you mind alcohol in your room?" Logan inquired.

"I have a feeling even if I did Finn would still bring it with him."

Logan laughed at how well she knew everyone. "Good answer. A movie night sounds great. I know Steph and Rosemary will appreciate it, they've been stressed out this week too."

"Is Julia coming too?" She asked.

"Probably, she tends to be hanging around so no one can't not invite her, you know?" Logan looked uncomfortable talking about the other girl.

"Yeah. That's what the others were saying. It's okay though, not a big deal. Besides it's my room, I can kick her out if I want, right?" Rory looked at Logan with a grin and was relieved when he started laughing.

"Yeah, you can kick her out if you want to Ace." Logan continued laughing as he slung his arm around her shoulder and they continued walking. "Come to think of it, I'd pay you to throw her out for no good reason. We'd all love to see it."

"Somehow I think she's going to give me a reason," Rory replied in a low voice.

"That's very possible." They entered her dorm room and Logan dropped his arm as she headed into her room to put her stuff away. "I'm going to call everyone, fill them in on the plan."

"Do you think they'll pick up food?" Rory called from her room while she changed.

"What?" He was waiting for Colin to pick up when he heard her muffled voice.

Rory came out of her room in a pair of grey lounge pants and a white tank top-hair in a messy bun. Logan couldn't believe how beautiful she looked in such a plain outfit. "Will they bring food if I make a list?"

He was off the phone by this time. "We'll just make them go out once they get here—they're all excited. What do you need them to get?"

"Well you want an all out Gilmore girls movie night, don't you?" She questioned.

"I think I'm up for it," Logan said with confidence.

"Wow, that's big. You're a brave one, huh?" Rory smiled and answered her ringing phone. "Hello?"

"You've ditched me!" Lorelai's voice came through the lines.

"Sorry."

"Why have you ditched me? You got out of dinner to be with me!" Her mother exclaimed.

"Exhausted. Can't drive. Gilmore girls movie night with Logan and company; he thinks they're up for the challenge."

Logan could hear Lorelai's wicked laugh over the phone and got shivers, _what had he gotten himself into?_ "That's a good reason then. Tomorrow night?"

"You might have to come here, depends on the stage of the sugar coma. I should be good to go though."

"Whatever they don't finish just bring with, we'll add it to the collection. What are you going to watch?"

Rory had given it a lot of thought and came up with an answer, "_Edward Scissorhands, Beetlejuice, A League of Their Own _and _Apollo 13._"

"Wow, that's impressive. Think you can do it?"

"Well, it's early still. I don't know about them, they are amateurs after all, but it's possible. We did it once, remember?"

"Oh yes."

There was a knock on the door, which Logan took upon himself to answer, letting in Colin and Finn. "The others are on their way," Colin told them.

"Oh, I gotta go mom, need to send the boys for the necessities."

"Okay hun, don't forget tomorrow night. Have fun and let me know if the others survive!"

"Thanks mom. Love you."

"Survive what?" Colin asked looking at Rory curiously.

"A Gilmore girls movie night." Rory took out a piece of paper and began writing.

"What are you doing love?"

"Making you a list of what to get at the store."

"The store?" Finn asked surprised.

"Yes, the store. We are missing the necessities for a proper movie night and I have nominated you boys as the ones to pick everything up."

"Well thanks for asking Reporter Girl," Colin put in.

Rory just smiled. "You wouldn't make little ol' me who's been studying all week go out and get all of this, would you?" She batted her lashes at him and gave him the Bambi eyes.

"Now that really isn't fair!" Colin complained. Rory's only answer was a giggle as Logan opened the door once again.

"Getting pretty comfortable over there, aren't you Huntzberger?" Rory raised her eyebrows at him; he was just opening her door whenever someone knocked.

"I know how tired you are Ace." He was using his charm and she knew it. "I wouldn't want you to have to be getting up over and over again."

"That makes perfect sense." She smiled in return. "Thank you."

"What makes perfect sense?" Stephanie asked as she, Rosemary and Julia came into the room and situated themselves on the couch and chairs.

"Logan answering the door so I don't have to get up and Finn and Colin going to the store for me because I'm exhausted," Rory answered primly.

"That does make perfect sense!" The girls smiled at Rory's logic and the boys took notice of the comfortable outfits they were in.

"How come you all are wearing that and we're stuck in these clothes?" Colin complained.

"Stop on your way back and change McCrae," Rory said.

"Good point. You done with that list yet?" He asked her

Rory looked it over and added two more things before handing it to Finn. He looked at the list, up at her, and then looked back at the list. "Are you serious love?"

"What? Did I miss something?" Rory snatched the list back and looked it over again. "No, it's looks to be all here. What's the problem?"

"Do you know how much sugar you've listed there?" Finn looked at her like she was crazy.

"Yeah, I know. Make sure to get lots of red vines, they'll be gone quickly with so many of us. Mom and I usually have three packages so I'm thinking six."

"You and your mother eat like this on a normal basis?" Colin asked incredulously. He had snatched the list from Finn when he began making such a big deal about it.

"Yup."

"How do you stay so thin?" Colin asked looking her up and down.

"Damn! Those are some good genes!" Finn commented.

"Thank you," Rory said primly with a smile on her face. "Now, we have to think about take-out. What does everyone feel like? Pizza? Chinese? Mexican? Thai? Japanese?" Rory looked around the room waiting for someone to answer.

"You want more food than this?" Colin waved the list around.

"That's the sugar portion, we need dinner too."

"Are you serious?" Logan had taken the list from Colin to see what the big deal was about.

"As a heart attack," she answered him, smile still in place.

"Unbelievable. We'll be back."

"You're leaving too?" Rory knew she sounded ridiculous but she did like his company and staying with Julia didn't seem like such a wonderful plan.

"Don't worry Ace, I'll be back. We'll hit the store and change, it looks like they'll need an extra set of hands." He gave her his trademark smirk. "Be back before you can miss me." He opened the door and Colin and Finn followed.

"So, what should we order?" Rory asked the girls. The phone was next to her on the small table—she had yet to move.

"Pizza and Chinese."

"That's all?"

"What are you talking about?" Rosemary looked at her like she was insane. "From what the boys were saying you have quite a list going on there and you don't think Pizza and Chinese is enough?"

"Well I did put pop tarts on the list so I guess we'll be okay. I'll just call Logan and make sure they get the tater tots too, I was undecided about those so I didn't put them on the list." Rory was talking more to herself then the others as she picked up the phone and relayed the message to Logan.

"You're insane Gilmore," Stephanie said as she watched Rory hang up with Logan and dial another number. "You have the number for the restaurant memorized?" She sat wide-eyed as Rory began ordering Chinese from memory. She hung up the phone and ordered the pizzas.

"You know what, I'm feeling a little like Hector's…" Once again she was talking to herself more than anyone else as she dialed a number and began an animated conversation with the man who answered.

"Are you crazy?" Julia asked once Rory hung up the phone.

"What are you talking about?" Rory turned in the chair to look at the girl.

"Who's going to eat all that food?"

"We are. Plus the guys."

"In addition to everything else you're getting?"

"Yup." She nodded her head for emphasis.

"Are you bulimic or something?" Julia asked with a look of disgust and understanding. It was as if she was going to use the information against her.

"Are you insane?" Rory asked her. Whatever Julia was getting ready to say was cut off by the guys entering with arms full of bags.

"That's a lot of stuff," Rosemary noted.

"Gilmore's list was long," Colin answered.

"You can just bring the bags in here I'll get everything ready." There was a knock on the door and Rory jumped for it. "Hector's!" She knew it would be them because they were the quickest, closest and loved her the most. Reaching into her bag for money Rory flung the door opened and smiled at the man standing there with the grease filled bag. "Jonah! How are you?"

"Good Rory, how are you?" He handed over the bag and Rory inhaled the scent. "We were surprised to hear from you, we came by the other night, didn't we?'

She grinned, it was nice to have a relationship with them. "Oh well, you know me, can't get enough of the tacos. How's Ralph?" Ralph was the chef and owner—he didn't think people would come if he named the place Ralph's so he chose Hector.

"He's good. Says hello. Stop by the restaurant next time? He'd love to see you."

"I will Jonah. Maybe I'll get mom to come sometime soon and we'll go together."

"Even better. Tell Lorelai we say hi. Have a good night."

"Good night Jonah, thanks." Rory paid him and closed the door moving back to the table with the bag. She began pulling things out and inhaled deeply. "Amazing," she mumbled while taking a seat and opening one of the tacos. Ignoring everyone else she began eating and humming something; food was apparently what had been missing from her system the past 36 hours. Rory was brought out of her bubble by another knock on the door.

"Who is it this time?" Rosemary teased her.

"Um…probably the Chinese. For some reason the pizza always takes the longest."

"Really? Do you know this guy too?" Logan asked.

"Nah. They change too often and sometimes don't speak English. Can you get the door? My wallet's on the table next to the door, there's money for dinner."

"Don't worry about it Ace, I've got it covered." Logan answered the door to find that it was indeed the Chinese food.

"Thanks Logan." Rory took another bite of the taco and swallowed before looking at Finn and Colin. "How much do I owe you guys for the food?" She gestured to the bags surrounding her.

"It's on us doll." Rory looked like she was going to protest and Finn stopped her. "Please, we're dying to see you eat this much food."

"I won't be eating it on my own you know."

"We know, but something tells us there won't be anything left."

Rory shrugged. "It's possible. It has been done before, but that's with two Gilmore stomachs, it may be different with you guys. We'll have to see." Rory stood and turned on the over, grabbing the bag of tater tots to prepare them to cook. The final expected knock came just as she was putting the tray inside the oven. She slammed the oven shut and ran for the door, throwing it open before Logan could. "Peter! Good to see you!"

"You too Rory. Not as much as usual," he commented.

"Yeah, well we're having a variety night and I think I've already scared these guys with how much food I've collected. How much do I owe you?" She reached for her wallet to find Logan standing behind her.

"Don't worry about it Ace, I've got it."

"Logan…you don't have to do that. Let me pay."

"Nope." He turned towards Peter and smiled. "How much do we owe buddy?" Logan paid the man, including a nice tip, before closing the door. "Is that everything Ace?"

Rory nodded. "The food can be brought into the living room, I'll get the other stuff ready in the kitchen."

"What movies are we watching?" Steph asked.

"_Edward Scissorhands, Beetlejuice, A League of Their Own _and_ Apollo 13_."

"Is there a connection in there?" Rosemary asked.

"You think we'll be up to watch all four of those movies?" Julia asked surprised.

"Yes, there is and that's part of the fun," Rory answered the questions in the order asked. She made four trips from the small table to the living room where everyone was seated before she felt that everything was out and in order. "Hey Finn, can you put in _Edward Scissorhands_?" She asked him since he was closest.

"Sure doll."

"What's the connection?" Rosemary asked as Finn got the movie started.

"Really? You can't see it?" They all shook their heads and Rory laughed. "Six degrees of Kevin Bacon," she said as if they were all stupid for not getting it.

"What?" Leave it to Julia for not getting it.

"_Edward Scissorhands_ stars Winona Ryder who was in _Beetlejuice_ with Geena Davis who was in _A League of Their Own_ with Tom Hanks who was in _Apollo 13_ with Kevin Bacon!"

"Interesting route there," Colin noted.

"You're a movie buff?"

"A bit," Colin said. "There's a more direct way, you know that right?"

"Oh hush!" They laughed and the movie began.


	12. It's All Fun and Games Until

Chapter 12: It's All Fun and Games Until…

**Chapter 12: It's All Fun and Games Until…**

They had made it through the first two movies without much of an issue. Everyone was surprised when not only did they finish all of the Chinese, Mexican, Pizza and tater tots but Rory was the one who ate most of it. Rosemary, Steph and Julia were all extremely cautious of what they ate, thankful that Rory ordered some steamed dishes from the Chinese restaurant that they felt okay eating. They were setting up _A League of Their Own_ when Rory felt Logan put his mouth close to her ear and whisper, "so you're not going to kick Julia out? I was really looking forward to it."

Rory laughed. "The night is still young." She settled back into the couch and smiled as she felt Logan's arm squeeze her shoulders. They had ended up sitting next to each other with Colin on her other side and Steph on the floor in front of him, resting her head on his leg. Finn and Rosemary were looking pretty cozy on one of the oversized chairs while Julia sat on the other and looked annoyed. Rory hadn't noticed as she and Logan had moved closer together throughout the movies. It had been a natural draw and Rory really liked it. Logan was turning out to be a pretty decent movie night substitute for her mother. Not only could he eat a lot but he made witty comments at all the proper spots. He even knew that it was Anthony Michael Hall in _Edward Scissorhands_. She'd have to remember to tell her mom that he knew that one. Maybe he could survive a _true_ Gilmore girls movie night; after all, it wasn't complete unless her mom was here too. The others, sadly, seemed like they were headed straight for a sugar coma.

As Finn was setting up the movie Rory took a minute to move out of Logan's embrace and set some coffee to brew before using the rest room. "Anyone else want?" She called out and looked over.

"I'll take some Ace."

"Me too Reporter Girl!"

Rory took down three mugs, poured the coffee and brought them over to the guys. "If you want anything in it good luck, cause I take it black and have nothing else but some sugar."

"Please, the last thing we need is more sugar," Colin said with a laugh. "How in the world do you not have a million cavities?"

"Forget that, how do you stay so thin eating so much?" Steph asked turning towards her newest friend, who had settled back in her spot with Logan's arm around her. She smiled when she noticed it, Rory would be good for him.

"Classic eating disorder, I'm telling you," Julia mumbled.

"You have to share your secret," Rosemary said from her spot on the chair ignoring Julia's comment, which she had heard clearly.

"I have no secret. Just a fast metabolism. I have my mother to thank for that."

"I told you it was good genes," Finn said proudly. Everyone laughed. Julia made a face and Rory shushed them as she picked up more red vines and turned her attention to the movie that Finn had finally started.

She rested against Logan, content to be close to him. He was an incredible source of warmth, a comfortable pillow and respected the movie night rules. They were 20 minutes into the movie when Finn and Colin started ragging on women playing baseball and Rory started yelling at them to shut up. They began throwing food and she tried to put her foot down. "Seriously guys! You're wasting the perfectly good, edible food here! Stop it! This is against movie night rules!" There had been a great deal of alcohol consumption this evening as well, making most of them hyper and able to watch the movies.

"There you go again with those stupid rules," Julia commented while rolling her eyes.

This time Rory decided not to ignore her. "Excuse me?" She turned towards the girl and could see Logan attempting to hide his smirk.

"What?" Julia tried to look innocent.

"Finn," she looked over at him for a second, "could you please pause the movie?" Finn nodded, captivated and intrigued by the fight he knew was coming, and she turned back to the other girl. "If you have a problem with the movie night rules please feel free to leave. You're kind of bringing the whole night down anyway. We're having a good time here."

"Yeah, such a swell time with you dictating rules."

"Hey! You're the one who wanted to come to a Gilmore girls movie night. Since I am the only Gilmore girl here I think it's safe to say I'm the only one that knows and therefore can enforce the rules. If you don't like them leave. No one is forcing you to stay—no one forced you to come in the first place." Her attitude was in place and everyone was surprised by it. They had only heard Rory's voice this cold when she answered the phone in the car the last time they went to dinner.

"Are you kidding me? If I didn't show up then I wouldn't see my friends. All they can talk about is you and how much fun you are and whether or not they can coerce you into going out with them."

"That's not my problem," Rory told her. "I didn't ask for the attention."

"Yeah right."

"What's your problem Julia?" Rory was really annoyed now. "It's not my fault if your friends like me better than you. Maybe you should examine your attitude and think about why I'm so much more accepted then you."

"Like I don't know why that is," she said with a snort.

"Why is that? Enlighten me, please!"

Julia glared at Rory before answering. "The only reason they like you so much is because Logan wants to get in your pants. And he only wants to do that because of your relationship with his father; screwing you is bound to make Mitchum approve of _something_ he's doing. Maybe you can get his ass of a father to back off of him as well, let him enjoy what's left of his college career before he starts learning the ropes of the newspaper business. But once Logan gets you out of his system you'll be gone from our little circle."

Rory felt Logan's body tense and knew that he wanted to say something but she shook her head slightly as she stood up and crossed to stand in front of the other girl. Without any warning Rory slapped her across the face, hard. "You really think that?" Rory asked practically growling the words.

"You better believe it!" No one had any idea where Julia got the nerve to stand up to Rory.

"Then let me share a little something with you, okay? I know when a good-looking, egotistical, society boy wants to use me—another one tried and failed. Logan, or anyone else, should have no assumptions that they can actually get me to do what they want or use me or whatever you want to call it. You would be wise to remember that I won't be any kind of go between for Mitchum and Logan. If Logan wants his father to lay off of him, that's his business and he can do the asking. I have no place asking Mitchum for anything like that. Do you seriously think that Logan would use me to get to his father? Wouldn't you think it's the other way around?" Rory shook her head in disgust before moving to the door and opening it. "Now, if you'll excuse us, we have a movie night to get back to. Please leave." Rory stood there glaring at the other girl as Julia looked around to her friends that were all giving her equally stern looks and got up in a huff.

"I see how it is!" She grabbed her jacket and purse and stomped out of the room. Rory slammed the door shut and locked it. She said nothing as she moved back to the couch, Colin and Stephanie now sitting together in the chair Julia had vacated, feeling everyone's eyes on her. "Let's continue with movie night, shall we?" Rory hoped her voice sounded normal as she looked at Finn to press the play button. Once he did so Logan pulled Rory close to him, only this time he laid down on the couch and she rested her head on his chest.

"She's wrong, you know that, right?" Logan said softly into her ear.

"As long as you know that she's wrong about me as well," Rory answered in kind.

"Don't worry Ace, I know." He squeezed her again before turning his attention back to the movie.

They watched the rest of the movies following all of the proper rules until they all drifted off before Tom Hanks even made it back to Earth safely. When Paris came in the next morning not only was she surprised to find the common room littered will all kinds of containers and bags, but she was even more surprised to find Finn and Rosemary cuddled together on one chair, Colin and Steph imitating them on the other chair, but most shockingly she saw Logan Huntzberger laying on her couch with Rory wrapped around him, his arms wrapped around her in kind.

The first one to wake up was Logan. He felt an abnormal weight on his body and immediately wondered how he could have let himself stay at some random girl's place the entire night. He never did that. Ever. It was a rule. Besides, how did he even end up with some random girl? Ever since he began thinking about Rory on a more serious level he hadn't been interested in any other girl. Logan may not know Rory very well but he didn't want to screw up any chance with her by being with his usual companions.

"Morning Huntzberger," Paris said when she saw Logan's eyes were open.

"Geller," he answered softly, as not to wake anyone up.

"Normal voices won't wake her up. It's a sugar coma. Only coffee will do the trick."

"Huh?" Logan looked at Paris and then at Rory.

Paris finished measuring the coffee and turned the machine on. "You're whispering. It's not necessary. The only thing that'll wake her up is coffee." The liquid began to brew and on cue it seemed that Rory started to stir. "Coffee?" She mumbled.

"Brewing Ace. Go back to sleep."

"But…"

"I'll wake you when it's ready," he reassured her. Rory nodded her head in understanding and snuggled herself closer to Logan's warmth.

**GGGG**

"I still can't believe she kicked Julia out last night…or was it this morning?" Rosemary asked. They had gathered for dinner that night—Rory declining so she could spend the evening with her mother.

"This morning," Stephanie responded. "Rory's not a good person to get angry, is she?"

"But you have to admit, angry works for her," Colin volunteered.

"I second that!" Finn announced rather loudly. "Huntz?"

"What? Oh, yeah, angry looks good on her," he answered distractedly. Logan's thoughts were still on early this morning when he woke up with Rory in his arms. He was stuck on how right that feeling was and concerned with whether or not he would miss the feeling tomorrow morning. After all, they had only "slept together" one evening, he couldn't get that attached to her that quickly…could he? _Impossible!_ Logan shook his head at the thought. There was no way he would miss Rory tomorrow morning. He had made a promise to himself long ago that he would never wake up with a girl in his arms—they got to attached if he did. When he was young, and naïve, he had spent the night with the first few girls he slept with. Unfortunately they thought that meant they could get commitment from _the_ Logan Huntzberger. When that didn't happen, something they discovered when Logan had quickly moved onto the next girl and the gossip wheels had started spreading it around, there was a big commotion. Finally Logan started sneaking out in the middle of the night. The girls were still pissed at him, but at least they didn't think he was making any promises. He got together with them again if he wanted and didn't if he didn't want to. It was a much better system.

"What's on your mind?" Colin asked, noticing Logan was extremely distracted.

"Nothing really." Logan stopped his thoughts and turned his attention back to the group. "What are we talking about?"

The four exchanged glances, wondering what had gotten into their friend. He was never this scattered. Logan Huntzberger didn't do scattered. "Just talking about Rory kicking Julia out this morning," Stephanie supplied.

"That was great, wasn't it?" Logan smiled at the memory. Frowning shortly after when he thought about the horrible things Julia had implied about both his and Rory's intentions towards each other. They were nothing more than friends…weren't they? Of course they were! Friends…just friends. That's it. That's all that was going to happen. Neither liked the other more than friends.

Rosemary laughed. "Julia sure didn't think so."

"That she didn't. I've never seen steam come out of her ears like that before," Finn remembered with a grin. "It was perfect. I'll have to thank Reporter Girl for the show; think she can make it happen again?"

Everyone laughed. "With the tension between the two I don't think that'll be a problem Finny," Stephanie said through her laughter—a sound that only increased as Finn made a face regarding the name she called him.

"Ah, yes, another pair fighting over young Huntzberger here," Colin said thoughtfully.

"Excuse me?" Logan snapped his head towards Colin. "What are you talking about?"

"Come on Logan, you're not dumb!" Rosemary exclaimed. "I know you don't like to show it, but I know that you're smart!"

"Thanks…" For some reason Logan thought that was an insult.

"You have to see it Logan," Stephanie started. "Julia's in love with you. Always has been. And with the vibes that you and Rory are sending to each other, it's only normal for Julia to be a bitch. Not that it's excusable or anything, and she said some very awful things to both of you, but Julia's always been in love with you, you know that."

"She recognizes Rory as competition. She wants to eliminate said competition and have you back to herself."

"He's never been hers," Colin argued. "She's had all these years to con him into some kind of relationship but Logan hasn't so much as touched her in a more than friendly way. And anything she thinks he's said or done in more than a friendly way was probably her imagination."

"You've got that right," Logan mumbled.

"You need to say something to her," Rosemary told him.

"What?" He definitely didn't like that idea. Talking to Julia about how he didn't like her as more than a friend and having to explain his feelings for Rory, or lack thereof, wasn't something he had any interest in doing. Logan didn't know what his feelings towards Rory were, they weren't what everyone expected—then again he didn't know exactly what his feelings were so how could he confront her.

"It's bound to happen eventually Huntz. We can't ignore her forever."

"We're ignoring her?" Finn asked. He didn't think they were ignoring her, though that would be fine with him, he just figured they didn't ask her out this one time.

"Well…not really…"

"It's not like we ever really lik—"

"Let's _not_ have this conversation in a public place, okay?" Rosemary cut Colin off. She had learned from previous experience that saying something negative about someone in a place where anyone, even the person you are speaking of if he or she is following you, can overhear is never wise. Walls tend to have ears and a mouth when you least desire them to.

"Good call," Stephanie agreed with her friend.

"We do have to seriously discuss this though," Colin pointed out.

"Your dorm, later tonight," Stephanie answered firmly. Julia was now a problem that they could no longer ignore, the time had come to deal with it. And by dealing with it, they must face her together.

**GGGGG**

"You're making this up," Lorelai told her daughter as she placed the last of the bowls on the table and settled herself on the couch.

"Is this really something I could make up?"

"She really got angry because you enforced movie night rules?" Lorelai couldn't grasp this story. "Are you honestly telling me that you explain the rules, people broke them, you enforced them, and she yelled at you?"

"Then she accused me of having an eating disorder!" Rory told her mother, the anger from the previous night building up.

"I need to sit down," Lorelai said more to herself then to Rory, but Rory heard her.

"You already are," Rory pointed out.

"She accused you, _you_, my pop-tart eating, grease loving, both kinds so you don't have to make a decision, three Thanksgiving dinners in one night eating daughter of having an eating disorder?"

"Yes!"

"Inconceivable!" Lorelai shouted. "Where is she? Where is she? Put 'em up, put 'em up! Which one of you first? I can fight you both together if you want. I can fight you with one paw tied behind my back. I can fight you standing on one foot. I can fight you with my eyes closed. Oh, pull an axe on me, eh? Sneaking up on me, eh? Why, I'll..."

"While I always enjoy a good _Wizard of Oz_ reference, can we be serious for a minute mom. I don't know how I can hang out with all of them and deal with her. She went on to accuse Logan of using me to get me in bed and to get his father off his back. It was unbelievable Mom, really."

"Sounds like she's just a peach," Lorelai said sarcastically. "So what are you going to do about it?"

"I don't know," Rory said with a shrug. "How about we just continue with a real movie night?"

Lorelai decided not to push her daughter with any kind of advice and nodded, turning to face the television while starting that evening's movie selection.

**GGGGG**

"I don't know if I'm going to make it…" Rory moaned as she and Lorelai started walking across the town square. "Why couldn't you drive?"

"Too tired. Can't drive," Lorelai mumbled. "Need coffee." Thankfully the Gilmore girls had finally reached Luke's and threw themselves into the chairs at the first empty table. "Luke! Coffee! Stat!" Lorelai screamed before throwing her head on her arms, placed on the table.

"I don't think so."

"What?" Both Lorelai and Rory looked up at him with wide eyes—this morning was not the one to deny either of them coffee.

"You drink too much coffee. Your really do. It's going to kill you! You've probably already had six cups, and it's noon!" Luke told them forcefully.

"No, Luke, I swear! We haven't had _any_!" Rory argued. "Teddy broke!" She told him dramatically.

"Teddy?" Luke questioned.

"The coffee maker," she told him simply. "He's broken! Dead! Left us! He was new too! Only two years old!"

"See! You use it so much that you kill them early!"

"What? Are you saying that _we_ killed Teddy? You have no proof! We have alibis! We LOVED Teddy! We'd never kill him!"

As Lorelai continued to plead Teddy's case with Luke, Rory's phone rang. "We didn't do it! I swear!" She said in lieu of a greeting.

"Huh? Ace?"

"We didn't kill Teddy! We loved Teddy! Why would we kill him?"

"How can you kill a coffee maker?" Logan asked her extremely confused. It was just the other day that she mentioned Teddy, the coffee maker at her mom's house, and Logan had no trouble remembering a name for a kitchen appliance. Who else _named_ their appliances?

"I don't know but Luke's withholding coffee and accusing us of killing Teddy! We haven't had _any_!" She whined. As she looked up at her mother they both screamed when Luke finally gave in and brought over two large mugs and a pot of coffee.

"It may be wise for you to leave the pot," Lorelai told him, but Luke wasn't paying attention to her.

"Rory!" She looked up at him confused as she drank her coffee and forgot about Logan on the other line. "You're on the phone! You know the rule!" Instead of restating it Luke pointed to the big sign by the kitchen with a red "X" through a picture of a cell phone.

"I gotta go Logan, talk to you later." Rory quickly hung up the phone and turned her attention to her coffee. "More please," she said as she finished the mug and looked up at Luke with her big eyes. "Chocolate chip pancakes too please." She finished up with a smile. Lorelai laughed.

"So that was Logan, was it? What did he want?" Lorelai asked her as Luke walked away to put in their order.

"Don't know," Rory told her mother with a shrug. "I had to hang up before he could tell me why he called. I'll find out later I'm sure. Something tells me that they won't be easy to shake off this week."

"Why do you say that?"

When Rory would have answered Luke placed the food in front of them and they continued on with breakfast, Rory keeping her suspicions about Logan and his friends to herself.


	13. I'm Breaking Up With You

Chapter 13: I'm Breaking Up With You

**Chapter 13: I'm Breaking Up With You**

"I think we should do it all together," Colin put in his opinion.

"I have to agree with Colin," Rosemary said.

"Well that's a first," Logan said with a smirk.

Rosemary glared at him. "Though Julia'll probably see us being together as a threat, I don't think it's right for five of her 'best friends' to end their friendships with her separately. That'll hurt. You know?" She looked at Steph thinking that she would be most understanding to her point.

"True. I'll go with Rosemary on this one. We tell her together."

"When?" Logan asked. He didn't like that they had to do this, their parents would be livid, but her attitude was no longer acceptable. "Our parents aren't going to be happy," he said out loud. None of their parents would take a minute to think about why they no longer wanted to be friends with Julia, they would just tell them it was unacceptable behavior to exclude someone that they had been friends with since they were children. What had changed between the group? The Bradleys were new money, meaning that they weren't extremely well respected by society; they weren't respected like The Huntzbergers or McCraes or Haydens or Vanderbilts or Gilmores.

"I think my mom will be thrilled actually," Stephanie spoke out. "You know how she feels about new money and all." Everyone laughed; the Vanderbilts were known to dislike new money immensely.

"Can I be there when you tell her?" Finn pleaded with a grin.

"You mean in the room when I call? Sure." There was no way that she would actually go to her parent's house to tell them about the situation. As soon as she stepped foot in that house there would be no way to get out without calling for reinforcements…or use classes as an excuse and then be forced to attend said classes so they wouldn't get suspicious. "Well," she said as an after thought, "I bet Liz will get a hold of my mother before I do."

"Probably," Rosemary agreed. One of Julia's many _endearing_ qualities is that she calls and cries to her mother, Liz, constantly. She didn't understand society—they were kids that didn't go to their parents for anything but money. And most of the time the money was dealt with by the accountants, leaving parents only to contact their children when they disgraced the family name or need to attend some stupid stuffy event.

"So? When?" Colin asked, getting back to the topic at hand.

"Sooner then later," Stephanie added. They were in agreement, silently trying to figure out how they could all get to her in the same room without making them look suspicious. Logan was finally going to say something when someone knocked on the door.

"Come in!" He shouted. As the door opened they all turned towards it., holding back their surprised faces at Julia's presence.

"Hey guys, how was your weekend?" She was actually going to pretend nothing happened?

"A lot of fun love, yours?" Finn, by far, had the most outgoing personality.

"Besides that wench kicking me out of her room," Julia started, Colin having to grab Logan's arm to keep him from attacking her. "…I mean, who does she think she is?" Julia had obviously been ranting about how she was treated while they all stared at her in shock.

"Well, it was her room, after all, and you were being extremely rude," Rosemary spoke out. It wasn't surprising she said something first—her personality matched perfectly to Finn's.

"Excuse me?" Apparently Julia had expected the group to be on her "side".

"You really weren't very nice to her. At all. She was being nice to you and then you go accusing her of having an eating disorder and Logan of using her or her of using Logan, you mentioned it all. It was tasteless…" Stephanie finished.

"Oh really?" Julia challenged

"We were all surprised," Colin added. "After all, you seem to love Logan but you said wretched things about him."

"Is that really how you think of me?" Logan asked Julia.

"And here I am willing to give you guys a chance to apologize!"

"Apologize? Are you crazy kitten? Apologize for what?" It was obvious Finn was holding back his laughter.

"Apologize for taking _her_ side over mine! You've known me longer, you should be loyal to _me_," she said sounding like a child.

"Yes, and we like her more," Finn replied in a serious tone.

"Is that really what you think of me?" Logan asked her again. "That I can't stand up to my father so I'd use some girl to sway his opinion of me? That I'd actually sleep with a girl to make my father happy?"

"You've done it before," Julia argued.

"Different situation," Logan rebutted. "My father forced me to date those girls, I never used them to gain his approval."

"Whatever. It's all semantics. Keep telling yourself that Logan." She rolled her eyes at him.

"Well as long as you're here there's something we want to talk to you about," Stephanie brought up a topic change. They needed to stay on track in order for this to work.

"Oh! Have you gotten the invitation to my parent's party at the end of the month?" Julia's parents were always trying to impress people, particular the old money part of society, with their newfound wealth. "Mom says it should be a great time. She promised nothing too stuffy." Julia's demeanor had changed completely leaving everyone wondering how they could have missed her split personalities.

"No, we haven't received any invitation," Colin said. "This is something else all together. Maybe you should sit down." He looked around at everyone feeling a little bit better when he saw their nervous faces that he knew matched his own. This wasn't going to be easy.

Julia looked at them all skeptically. She'd know them all since freshman year of high school and had never seen them look so serious; Finn actually sounded sober! "What's going on?" She sat on the only open chair in the common room and stared at everyone.

"Well…we don't really know how to say this…" Stephanie began slowly.

"It's a touchy subject…" Rosemary tried to pick up where Steph left off.

"Geez ladies, spit it out! Julia, love, we're sorry, but we can't be friends with you anymore," Finn blurted out. He was always of the opinion that it was better to get bad news over with, like ripping off a band-aid instead of pulling it off slowly and more painfully.

"What?" Her eyes went wide. "Did you just say…"

"We're breaking up with you Jules," Colin reworded Finn's statement.

"You've got to be fucking kidding me," she muttered before turning to Logan. "this is because of _her_, isn't it?"

"Not really—"

"You're honestly letting Rory Gilmore destroy our friendship? I know she's sleeping with your father or something but that doesn't mean you have to love her too. Or choose her over your friends."

Logan sprung to his feet and it took both Colin and Finn to hold him back.

"_This_ is why we're no longer friends," Stephanie growled at her. Rory Gilmore was a lovely girl and she did not deserve to be spoken of in such a way, especially by someone as insipid as Julia. "You are a jealous, vindictive bitch and I know you'll seek revenge and try something on Rory. Just remember: you come after her, you come after all of us. You may want to take a minute to recall what happened to the last person who crossed us all." The look on faces around the room was deadly and Julia visibly paled as she vividly remembered what happened with the last person that declared revenge on the group.

"You should leave now," Colin said, anger obvious in his voice.

Julia left the room in a huff slamming the behind her and before the guys would let go of Logan they waited a moment to make sure she wasn't going to return. There was no telling what Logan would do if she returned. Once they were sure she wasn't coming back Rosemary was the first to speak up. "I'll get you my pretty, and your little dog too," she said with a dark cackle effectively lightening the mood in the room. "What?" She asked when they stared at her. "You know it fits!"

"We need to warn Rory," Colin said logically.

"Warn Rory about what?" A female voice asked. They turned around completely shocked to see her there. "What? The door was opened, should I have knocked?" They stood there for a moment longer without saying anything. In all the years they had known Julia she refused to just walk in like Rory had just done.

"Well…um…you should watch out for Julia," Steph told her nervously.

"I always do," Rory answered. "What's going on with her?" Rory picked up on something else going on.

"Um…well…"

"You see Ace we broke up with her," Logan explained.

Rory broke out into laughter, she couldn't help it. "Excuse me? _You_ _broke up with her_?"

They exchanged glances wondering what was so funny about the situation. "Yeah. We did. Told her we didn't want to be friends anymore," Finn told her again.

"Really? Did you also kick her out of the clubhouse?" Rory couldn't control her laughter. "I'm sorry…I know you're serious…I just…it's too funny!"

"It won't be so funny when she starts spreading rumors that you're sleeping with my father," Logan said bluntly, earning him harsh looks from the others.

"What?" Rory's laughter stopped immediately and she glared at Logan. "Would you mind repeating yourself?"

"Since we chose you over her she thinks that it has something to do with you sleeping with Mitchum. Or at least the reason Logan is keeping you around is because you're doing something not quite moral with his father pet." Finn shrugged helplessly at Rory, he hoped she knew they didn't think that—none of them did.

"Why are you friends with her again?"

"New money," Rosemary said with a sigh. "When they joined society she just kind of leached onto us. We never really had a reason to get rid of her before."

"Thanks for being that reason Ace," Logan said sincerely. "She was really starting to get annoying."

"Aw, you mean to tell me that there is a girl that the great Logan Huntzberger doesn't like?" Rory teased him.

"Yes!" He said adamantly.

"But being the reason you aren't friends anymore is going to hurt me, isn't it?" Rory asked out loud although she was speaking more to herself.

"Unfortunately, but I don't think it'll be too drastic," Steph tried to reassure her. "I reminded her of what happened the last time we went after someone who wanted revenge on one of us."

"Oh well, you shouldn't worry, she can't touch me, I'm a Gilmore and a Hayden," Rory muttered the final part under her breath. When the final words registered in her brain she looked around quickly making sure that the others didn't hear the Hayden part of her words. She didn't use her father's name or status for much but occasionally it was fun. She would have to see about shoving _that_ down precious Julia's throat!

"Did you come by for something?" Colin asked. "Not that we don't love to see you of course."

She laughed at him. "Just wanted to say hi. See what you were up to."

"How about joining us for dinner?" Rosemary asked.

"Sure, why not?" Rory shrugged and allowed the girls to drag her into a conversation as they headed out the door.

"Now about Julia…" Stephanie started.

"I don't think you have to worry," Rory _finally _got a word in as they seated themselves around the table at a popular bistro around campus, "you're forgetting who my roommate is."

"Oh, that's good, I didn't think about her Ace," Logan said from the seat across from her. It was probably the first meal they had been at together at which they weren't sitting next to each other.

"Who?" Rosemary asked.

"Oh, my roommate, Paris Geller. She's fierce but she loves me, she'd tear Julia into pieces."

"Good to know, but Paris can't be with you all the time."

"I'd like to see Julia try and do something to me, really," Rory argued. "That'll be something."

"She could do it."

Rory shook her head. "I'm sure she'll try. I'd put nothing past her. Now, do you think we could order, I'm starved and it's _never_ a good thing to keep a Gilmore girl hungry!" She opened up the menu to see if there was something else she felt like ordering.

**GGGGGGGG**

"Ah so little Miss Gilmore can be found alone, can she? Where are your bodyguards?" The vindictive voice began as soon as Rory got close to her car.

Looking up to the location of the voice Rory wasn't surprised to find Julia glaring at her. "I don't have bodyguards," she said with a sigh. "Now if you could please move I'm running late."

"Oh, will Mitchum get mad if you're late? I'm sure he doesn't like his mistresses to waste time he set aside for them," she sneered.

"So you're pining for him, is that it? I'll make sure that while _I'm at work_ I let him know how attractive you find him. Of course something tells me he'll only laugh, but you know how stressful the news business is, he probably needs the laugh."

"You can't fool me, I know what you're doing."

"You don't know anything Julia. You've made that perfectly clear."

"You must feel pretty good about yourself, huh?" She asked without moving from her spot resting against the driver's door.

"I normally do, yes," Rory entertained her for a moment longer.

"You must feel pretty good about getting my friends to ditch me for you. They won't be loyal to you—they're not loyal to anyone but each other."

Rory shrugged. "I didn't ask for them to befriend me, they chose to. And I didn't convince them to ditch you, you did that yourself. If you want to blame anyone then blame yourself. Now if you don't mind," Rory actually pushed Julia away from her car and got inside, quickly driving away before the other girl could respond.


	14. Something More

Chapter 14: Something More

**Chapter 14**: **Something More**

"Good afternoon Sharon," Rory greeted the main receptionist. After she had driven away from Julia, who still wore a shocked expression, Rory managed to calm herself down a little bit. She didn't think anyone at the Stamford Gazette would appreciate her having a bad attitude.

"Hi Rory, I'm glad that you're here."

"What's going on?" Rory stopped at the front desk, leaning against it while she spoke with Sharon.

"Mr. Huntzberger asked me to give this to you," she turned in her chair to pick up a huge stack of files. "He's out the rest of the week on business and wants you to finish all of this by Thursday. He needs everything for his meeting Friday morning so we need to send it out Thursday afternoon. There should be instructions both inside the top file and on your email." She handed the pile of files over to Rory who took them with wide eyes. "Welcome to being Mr. Huntzberger's favorite," Sharon said with a grin. Apparently not all of the staff was comfortable calling him Mitchum, although that's how he preferred to be addressed.

"Thanks Sharon, I'll be at my desk." Rory walked in that direction, smiling at the people she saw on the way before unceremoniously dropping the pile on her desk. Even though she hadn't come into the office yesterday Rory did not think the office would fall apart without her. Oh well, it wasn't really that it fell apart, it was just that they piled up work for her. She was about to sit down when she noticed another pile of work staring at her. "Evan?" She called out.

"Yeah Gilmore?" The older reporter spoke to her but still looked at his computer screen.

"What is all of this?" She asked him motioning to the other pile on her desk.

"Oh, we need you fact check all that—it's four or five articles for Thursday's edition. They'll need final editing Wednesday afternoon."

"So I have 24 hours to fact check them, is that what you're saying?" Rory asked, surprised that it would be put off until the last minute.

"Yup." He was still staring at his screen.

With a soft groan Rory threw herself at the articles. She didn't even look at Mitchum's instructions knowing it would be better for her sanity to go in order of importance. She would take a break in between articles to start what Mitchum needed but not concentrate on it fully. Now, while the plan sounded good in theory, Rory forgot how tiresome in was to check facts and reading Mitchum's instructions only made her cross eyed. The end result was Rory falling asleep at her desk—waking up at 6am to work longer before heading to class. Somehow she managed to finish in time for both final editing and printing before throwing herself into her work. She was halfway through Mitchum's requests when her cell phone rang. "Yes?"

"Where have you been love?"

Finn? What was Finn doing calling her? How did he even get her number? _Finn_? "Hi Finn. Working."

"On what? Paris said you never came home last night—"

"Shit!" Rory meant to call Paris and let her know she probably wouldn't be home yesterday but then she got involved with work and fell asleep. She didn't know about coming home tonight either and she hadn't remembered to call the blonde anytime during the day. For all of Paris' strange idiosyncrasies she was a fierce friend who cared a lot. And Rory not coming home last night was not something she would appreciate.

"What? Did you just curse? I don't think I've ever heard you curse before." Finn was talking to her, but she wasn't really listening, though she heard the noise in the background that Finn's comment stirred up.

"Rory! Where are you? Why didn't you call? I've been worried!" Paris obviously grabbed the phone out of Finn's hand.

"Paris? What are you doing with Finn?" Never a pair that Rory thought she would see on the same side. For the few times they had met Paris had made it clear that she didn't like Finn. Finn didn't give up that easily though.

"When you didn't come home and didn't call I got worried. So I called Huntzberger and he brought over his entire crew. I have to tell you Rory, I don't understand why you hang out with these people they're really…"

"Hold on Paris!" Paris' words seemed to get her brain out of the newspaper only track and she dropped her cell phone to call her mother at work. If Paris had been worried enough to call Logan she must have called Lorelai.

"Dragonfly Inn, Michele speaking," a bored sounding French accent came through the phone lines.

"Michele it's Rory, can I talk to my mother please?"

"I don't know where she is…"

"Michele! I don't have time for these games, find my mother!"

"Stupid little brat," Michele muttered as he dropped the phone and began searching for Lorelai. A minute or two later she picked it up.

"Hello?"

"Mom!"

"Rory!" Lorelai smiled at the sound of her daughter's voice. "Are you okay? Paris called me last night in a panic. Of course I didn't think the conversation was real since she woke me up at three o'clock in the morning and you know how I don't think that early. I thought I was dreaming—let me tell you, dream Paris is twice as nasty as the real one. I hung up on her, figuring that she was making things up but once I got some coffee in me this morning I called her back to find out if it was real and everything and it turns out it was. Where were you? Is he cute? Exotic? One night kind of thing? Oh, was it Logan?"

Rory smiled at her mother's ability to rant. "Sorry Mom, no boy, exotic or otherwise. I was working, at the Gazette. There was a ton of work and I fell asleep at my desk. I forgot to call Paris."

"You're okay?"

"I think so. Just a lot of work and not enough time."

Lorelai nodded. "Don't work yourself too hard kid, it's only an internship. Mitchum shouldn't expect you take on _everything_."

"I know. Oh! The article on The Dragonfly is coming out on Friday!" She had seen the final article listed for Friday's paper and was excited.

"That's great! Is it good?"

"I haven't read it," Rory protested.

"Liar!" Lorelai called out.

Suddenly Rory heard another voice and realized he had left her cell phone on her desk and Paris was still ranting. "Look Mom, sorry to cut this short, but Paris is on my cell and I can hear her still screaming at me. I just wanted to let you know that I was okay. I'll see you tomorrow night, right?"

"I guess so. I can't get away from Adolf this week. Are you coming home with me?" Lorelai asked as she sorted through some papers on the desk and ignored Michele's glare.

"Not sure yet. Aren't you going out with Luke or something?" Rory asked.

"I don't know."

"What's going on?" Rory didn't realize that things were so strange.

"Nothing, don't worry about it."

"I'm only letting that answer slide because I don't have time to get into it, you realize that, right?" Rory asked.

"I know kid."

"Okay, I'll see you for dinner tomorrow night. Love you mom."

"Love you too kid." Lorelai hung up the phone, stuck her tongue out at Michele and headed back into the kitchen to finish her conversation with Sookie.

"Sorry Paris, I needed to let my mom know that I was okay. Are you okay?" Rory half thought, half hoped that Paris had talked herself hoarse, but no such luck.

"Where are you? You're not at the library, I checked _all_ of them, and you're not at the coffee shop or at the newspaper, where are you?"

"The Gazette," Rory answered impatiently. She was almost done with the one article in front of her and needed to start on the final one. It was the longest and would take the most time, she needed to start.

"You're where?" Paris asked exasperated. "You're not even getting paid for this, why are you still there? Did you sleep there?"

Rory blushed, knowing that she was going to get a lecture from her. "I did. Now, before you start I have one more thing to finish and then I'm coming home. And yes, I went to my classes today. Why you didn't see me there I don't know so don't ask me. I'll see you later tonight, and no, I don't know what time I'll be back. And if you call me back once I hang up I'm not answering so don't even try it. Later Paris."

"Gilmore! Don't you ever go home?" Evan called out when he came back inside from his lunch break and saw her still at work.

"I went to classes today!"

"Did you come straight back?" He asked, surprised at her dedication while attending a top school like Yale.

Rory nodded. "I had a lot to do the past two days. I'll be done in a few hours and then I'll leave until Tuesday."

Evan looked at her skeptically. "Unbelievable. Well, don't kill yourself, the boss'll have my head if you do—you're his favorite."

Rory ignored his comment and got to work. The article in front of her took longer to put together then she had originally thought it would and it was almost dinner time by the time she finished.

"You need a break," a familiar voice said into her ear.

She jumped at the unexpected sound. "Make some noise next time!" She screamed at him while turning around in the chair with a smile on her face.

"Sorry?" Logan sent her his charming smile and she felt herself melt.

"It's okay. What are you doing here? Your father's on business and won't be back here until Monday."

"Trust me," Logan said with a laugh, "I am _not_ here to see my father."

Rory smiled at him. "Then why _are_ you here?"

"It seems that my father is giving a pretty brunette I know too much work and causing me to see her less. Since I deem this unacceptable, especially since said girl has been sleeping at the office to get the work done in between classes, I have come to take her to dinner."

"Logan, that's really sweet but…"

"No buts allowed!" He told her seriously. "We're going to dinner and then I'm coming back here to help you finish whatever ridiculous task he's given you." Logan looked down at the piles on her desk. One was pretty high, probably what she'd finished while the other was extremely low, at least she was almost finished. This way they wouldn't have too much to finish after dinner.

"Logan, I really shouldn't…"

"Stop, it's enough. You're coming with me!" Logan took her hand and pulled Rory out of her seat. "Evan!" He called out to the man he recognized and knew recognized him.

"Mr. Huntzberger! I didn't know you were here!" Evan stood and approached him.

Logan rolled his eyes at Rory. "Please don't call me that, Logan is fine. I just came to take Rory out to dinner. I'll bring her back to finish whatever it is that has her working crazy hours. Don't call." Logan ordered and then dragged Rory away from the office without waiting for an answer.

"Do you always talk to people like that?" Rory asked him as she slide into his car.

"Only when they think that sucking up to me will get them somewhere. For some reason people in the journalism industry, think that by sucking up to me my father will love them." He laughed at the thought. "If only they knew how much it turns me off from them. I hate being used as a way to get to him."

"I know." Rory patted his hand in a soothing manner. "Though I think Evan was just trying to be nice. If anything he was acting like that because he wants me to like him—apparently I'm your father's favorite. And if I'm 'dating' you and Mitchum's favorite then getting on my good side is obviously important, wouldn't you think?"

"Wait, we're dating?" Logan shot her a grin as he stopped at a red light.

"Come on Logan, you know as well as I do that as soon as we left that office Evan started telling people that we're dating." Rory stared at him, he had to have known that.

Logan decided to ignore that fact, more so for the reason that he didn't want to stop the rumor Evan probably started. He wanted to be dating Rory Gilmore and that alone was a scary thought. "What does he have you working on?"

"Oh, well Evan had me fact checking five articles for today's issue, so that's what I was doing Tuesday and Wednesday," Rory explained. It had been tedious work and she hated doing it. Once she explained that to Mitchum and he had promised to give her as little fact checking to do as possible, there were other interns that could do that and she was already doing it at the YDN.

"I didn't really mean Evan," Logan said with a smile. He knew that she understood the question and just didn't answer him.

"Oh, your father needed some stuff put together for his meeting tomorrow," Rory explained. "Preliminary research for a bunch of articles, asked me to do it. There was some light editing as well."

"His stuff?" Logan asked, curious if his father had not only written more but given it to Rory to look over first.

"No," Rory said with a shake of her head. "You know that him writing that article about the inn was unusual. This was other stuff as well as prep work for his meeting."

"Isn't that Katie's job?" His father had a secretary for a reason and it _wasn't_ to cheat on his mother with.

"Yeah, but she was out this week," Rory said with indifference. "Where are we?" She asked as he parked the car.

"Dinner," Logan replied simply.

"Go figure," Rory said sarcastically. "Where?"

"Italian. We'll eat and then I'll help you finish with the last of the work Dad left you. You're going to sleep in your own bed tonight. How long has it been since you've done that?" Logan asked.

Rory thought about his question and realized that she fell asleep at her desk both Tuesday and Wednesday night. Wow. That was bad. She wasn't going to answer him. "So is it just you and me tonight or is the rest of the gang meeting us?" She asked him as she got out of the car.

Logan took her avoiding his question to mean she hadn't slept in her bed the past two nights and decided he would definitely make sure that she did tonight. "No, it's just you and me tonight Miss Gilmore, think you can handle that?" He teased her.

"I don't know Mr. Huntzberger. I mean, if it was just me and Finn, well that would be a different story, but just you and me? Wow. I don't know. Are you sure there won't be girls popping out of the woodwork to glare at me for getting you out without even asking you?" She teased him back.

Logan shook his head at her. She was something else. "Do you really mean that you prefer Finn's company over mine?" Logan asked pretending to be hurt by the comment.

Rory only shrugged. "Think what you will."

"Mean!" Logan said with his own version of a pout, turning it into a smile when the hostess approached them and then showed them to their table.

"What have you been doing this week?" She asked, not wanting to sit in silence just yet. She really hadn't gotten a chance to talk to anyone this week she'd been so busy.

"Oh you know, the normal."

"So going to the pub, getting drunk, picking up random girls and going home with them?" Rory asked with a grin. "How you guys don't have a million diseases I'll never understand."

"It's simple Ace," he said with a smirk, "we're safe." She couldn't hold back her laughter. "Seriously, is that all you think I do?" Logan once again tried to look hurt and offended.

"Are you telling me you do other things?" Rory asked faking a surprised tone. "Oh wait! I remember! You guys like to put your lives in danger as well. But I thought that was covered when you went home with girls you only met that evening."

"You really need to get your mind out of the gutter Gilmore. Unless, of course, you're just saying that because you're jealous, because if you are I'm sure something can be arranged." He was teasing her again.

"I'll remember that," Rory commented.

Logan nodded. "The offer's always there Ace." He smirked at her. "I'll have you know that I actually showed up at the paper this week!"

"Really? And since it wasn't because your father was going to show up, can I dare think it was because of me?" Rory batted her eyelashes at him playfully.

"Well aren't you full of yourself there Miss Gilmore."

"So are you saying you were there to listen to Doyle give everyone a lecture and assign you an article that you'll not only write but hand in on time?"

Logan smiled, happy that she was in such a relaxed mood. "That's really pushing it there Ace."

"Oh? So were you there to see Paris? I know how much you _love_ to see her." Every time Paris saw Logan she managed to not only glare at him but start in on some kind of lecture about his behavior.

He laughed. "I don't think there will ever be a day when I go somewhere to see Paris," he said seriously. "And if there ever is send me to the doctor, I am obviously extremely ill."

Rory laughed at him. "So then enlighten me, please, as to what you were doing at the paper."

"I was looking for you Ace," he said with a smile. A real smile.

"Oh really? And why, prey tell, were you looking for lil' ol' me?" She asked in a silly tone.

"Besides the fact that you had disappeared off the face of the earth and we were worried?" He questioned.

"Huh?" Rory looked at him obviously confused. The waiter chose that moment to come by and Rory insisted that they order before continuing because she was starved. Logan was no longer surprised by the amount of food she ordered, though by the end of the meal he was always taken aback by the fact that she _finished_ it all, but it was nice to finally know a girl who wasn't afraid to eat, and would eat in front of him. Not to mention she teased him when he couldn't even finish his meal, which he had no appetizer before, only a bite of hers.

"Well, with Julia out on the war path and all, we weren't sure if she had gotten to you."

"Gotten to me?" Rory asked with a laugh. "What do you think she would have done to me?"

Logan shrugged. "When Julia's angry anything is possible. Has she said anything to you?"

"She cornered me in the parking lot Tuesday morning but I haven't heard anything from her since. Of course I really haven't been around for her to say anything to me, but I'm not worried. I can handle myself Logan, I am a big girl."

"Oh, we're not saying that you aren't," Logan answered quickly. He didn't want to offend her. "We just don't want her to scare you off."

Rory couldn't help laughing. "You think_ she _could scare me off? You're funny Logan."

He watched her for a minute. "Why is that so funny?"

"She can't scare me off," Rory insisted. "I've dealt with a lot worse then Julia. You should have seen Paris when I first started Chilton. If I could survive not only her need to be the best in school, but to be the best reporter on _The Franklin_ and her jealously over Tristan's preference for me over her, then I can survive Julia. Trust me, she's nothing."

"Paris was jealous of you? Who's Tristan?" Logan didn't like the smile that came across Rory's face at the mention of the name.

"Just an old…friend," she answered. He hadn't really been a friend, but close enough. She hadn't heard anything about him since he left for military school though Paris said something about him getting into Princeton. Another reason why she was glad she hadn't ended up there. Rory figured her grandparents would have liked her going to Harvard over Princeton. Her family wasn't extremely excited about anyplace where the Hayden's were well known.

Logan studied her after she answered, wondering if that was the truth, but the slightly dark look that crossed her face after speaking made him believe her. "You'll let us know if she does anything though? You don't deserve her wrath, she's mad at us." Logan insisted.

"I promise that if she does anything to me that you'll be the first to know. Well, I can't promise the first to know because she could do something in public so a lot of people may see and then I'll probably call my mom first or if I'm close to my room Paris will hear first, and if it's in public you'll probably hear before I can even call you, but I promise to call you as soon as possible after she does something and brag about what I did back!"

Logan laughed at her rant. "That's all I wanted Ace. That's all I wanted."

"Glad I could help. Has she done anything to you guys?"

"She wouldn't dare." Rory nodded. "But our parent's are actually happy with us."

"What?" Rory hadn't been expecting him to say that.

"I told you that we didn't really like her, but our parents were friends and we couldn't just ignore her, society doesn't work that way. But, you see, Julia and her family are new money and they just don't know how to act properly."

"Really?" Rory didn't know they were new money. That explained a lot—it was always hard for the new money families to fit in with the old money ones. It was just the way things worked. Occasionally it happened without a problem, but typically the new money families stuck to one group and the old money to another.

"Yeah. Our parents couldn't have been happier to get rid of her family. The Bresser's were so upset that Julia was kicked out of our circle that they started an argument with our families and when our parents wouldn't agree to forcing us all to be friends again the Bresser's stormed away and stayed away. They tried starting some kind of rumor but it won't work—we're all old money."

"Did they say something to my grandparents?" Rory wondered. Her grandmother hadn't called her about anything yet, but that didn't mean anything in the world of Emily Gilmore.

"I don't know," Logan told her. "It's possible, but I don't know if they know your grandparents. They probably do, but maybe not well enough to approach them about it."

Rory nodded." Well I'll be on the look out. Both for Julia and my grandparents." Logan looked at her strangely. "While your parents may not want to be friends with the Bresser's, my grandmother would still talk to them until I told her the entire story. She hasn't tried to get in touch with me this week so I have to think she doesn't know anything, but Emily Gilmore is a mysterious woman." Logan would have said something but dinner came and they were both famished.

Five hours later found them finally finishing up the work Rory had left on her desk prior to dinner. "Is that really what my father has had you doing the last couple of days?"

Rory nodded. "I got the rest of it mailed out this afternoon but this will have to be overnighted. Thankfully he's only in California. And I emailed it to him so he'll have it when he wakes up but…"

"Slow down Ace, it's okay, he'll understand. You had a lot to do. He'll probably behead Evan for giving you so much work on top of what he gave you, but it'll be okay."

"I have to do _some_ fact checking though," Rory argued. "I can't force the other interns to do everything."

Logan nodded in understanding. "Come on, night's over, let's get you in bed." Rory allowed Logan to pull her up and drape an arm around her shoulders leading her towards his car. "I'll send Finn and Colin to get it for you tomorrow, just leave me with your keys." Rory nodded and smiled her thanks to him. She had no interest in driving. The only interest she had was in going to sleep.

The drive back to school was completed in silence, Logan once again draping at arm around her shoulders while leading her back to her room. They had been silent until they reached her door, each thinking about what had happened during the evening. Somehow, without either one of them realizing it things had changed between them. Somewhere between Logan coming into the office and this moment something had clicked for each of them. Not knowing what to say Logan offered her a small smile. "It looks like this is where I leave you Ace. You can get to bed okay?"

She nodded. "Thanks for everything today Logan, really, it was very sweet of you."

"My pleasure Ace."

"Thanks though, it was unnecessary."

Logan would have argued but decided not to. "What are you doing this weekend?"

She shrugged. "I have dinner at my grandparent's tomorrow night and I may go home with my mom but I'm not sure yet." Logan nodded. "So…good night Logan, thanks again."

Logan ignored her thank you. "Good night Ace." He had no idea what possessed him to make his move, but as he looked into her tired blue eyes Logan couldn't help himself. He leaned down and gently placed his lips on hers. He moved back slightly and looked at her closed eyes and the light smile playing on her lips before he kissed her again. This time her arms came around his neck, fingers in the edge of his hair, and his hands on her hips pulling her closer. The kiss continued and deepened until they had to part for air. "Sweet dreams Ace," he said softly.

"Sweet dreams Logan."

"Of you," he answered in a whispered as he watched her unlock the door and go inside, a smile still resting on her beautiful mouth.


	15. Fly Me To The Moon

Chapter 15: Fly Me To The Moon

**Chapter 15: Fly Me To The Moon**

As tired as she was Rory had not stopped smiling since she closed the door on Logan Thursday night. The kiss had been simply magical. She had no idea that kissing Logan Huntzberger could be like that. Now she finally understood why so many girls kissed him and why the others were jealous. She would have never believed someone if they told her he was _that _good of a kisser but practice does make perfect. And if his kisses were that perfect she could only imagine how good he was at other things. Shaking her head away from the dirty thoughts, Rory paid attention to the road ahead of her. It was almost time for Friday night dinner and surprisingly she as going to arrive right on time—just like she promised her mom. She had spoken to Lorelai briefly this morning, long enough to tell her about the Logan kiss and promise to meet her outside the grandparent's house at precisely seven o'clock. Pulling into the driveway she was surprised to find a car that she didn't recognize in addition to her own.

"Hey kid, how are you?" Lorelai looked at her daughter with a smile, she seemed supremely happy.

"Great, how are you?" Rory answered with a smile on her lips. Try as she might she was unable to get her lips to stop curving upwards.

"Not as good as you are. Maybe _I _should kiss Logan," Lorelai teased. "You realize that if you don't get that look off of your face your grandmother will pounce on you until you tell her what's going on. And once she knows what's going on she's going to insist on having the Huntzberger's over for dinner so she and Shira can start planning your wedding. How do you feel now?" Lorelai was trying to gauge the depth of Rory's feelings for Logan. It was clear from the first time Rory even mentioned he blonde "friend" that she saw everything she had feelings for him but now said feelings were being returned, in full, and not tip-toped around. Logan had made a move and Rory needed to decide what to do next.

"Like I need to hide my face from Grandma all night. How do you think I can do that? I've been trying to get rid of this smile all day but nothing's worked! I don't know what to do. How can one little kiss affect me like this? And I haven't even told you all the good stuff yet!"

"Good stuff? It was just one kiss!" Lorelai looked at her daughter surprised.

"Oh, but there's a continuation from last weekend."

"You mean Julia?" Lorelai asked.

Rory nodded. "Yes, I mean Julia. The girl will probably spit fire if she finds out about that kiss. I don't think it'll be anything more between me and Logan, but no matter what it won't be pretty where she's concerned."

"Really? What happened?"

"Lorelai! Rory! What are you doing standing out here? You're being rude! And you're late! Come inside now, we have guests!" Emily opened the door and started in on her tirade before Rory could answer her mother's question.

"I'll tell you later," she whispered in her mother's direction as they handed their coats to the maid and followed Emily into the parlor. "How are you Grandma?"

"I'm good dear. How are you? You look exhausted! You're not sick, are you?"

"No Grandma, I'm not sick, just busy."

"Richard! The girls are here!" Emily announced as they entered the room. "What would you two like to drink?"

"Martini please mom," Lorelai answered immediately.

"Just a glass of water Grandma." She wasn't really in the mood to drink.

"Rory! Lorelai! When did you get here? I didn't hear the bell. Did you come together?" Richard looked up from his conversation to greet his daughter and granddaughter.

"No Grandpa. We just arrived at the same time. Grandma must have seen us pull up, she met us before we could ring the bell."

Richard nodded at Rory's answer. "Rory, Lorelai, I'd like you to meet some friends of ours, the Bresser's—Todd, Liz and their daughter Julia. Julia's your year at Yale Rory, do you know each other?"

Rory wondered if she held back her shock well or if her grandmother would ask to speak with her in another room and proceed to yell at her for being rude. "I believe we have some mutual acquaintances," Rory said politely. "It's nice to see you again," she lied through her teeth, "Mr. and Mrs. Bresser, it's nice to meet you." She shook their outstretch hands and tried to keep a smile on her face.

"Please, Todd and Liz," Todd corrected as he smiled at Rory. "How are you enjoying Yale?"

"I love it," she answered with a smile.

"Just like you've always pictured it?" Liz questioned.

"Well, I always pictured myself at Harvard," Rory laughed when she saw her grandfather shudder, "but I have to say that Yale has lived up to and surpassed those expectations." Richard nodded at that statement.

"Lorelai, I understand you own an inn," Liz spoke to the other woman.

Lorelai smiled at her, realizing that something was off with Rory and wondering if this Julia was the same one that had given her trouble last weekend. "I do Liz. Actually, Mom, Dad," Lorelai started, looking at her parents, "I brought you something."

Emily's face lit up and Richard looked away from his conversation with Todd to look at his daughter. "What is it?" Emily asked.

"Why don't you open it up and find out?" Lorelai said in her typical sarcastic tone.

Both of the elder Gilmores shot a look at their daughter before opening up the bag and eagerly looking inside. "What is this?" Emily pulled out two of the magazines and started looking through one while handing Richard the other.

"Is that what..." Rory looked at her mother curiously.

"Yup. There's one in there for you if you'd like," Lorelai confirmed.

"Grandma?" Rory asked expectantly.

"Yes?" Emily was looking through the magazine and having found what she wanted was reading through the article.

"May I please have the magazine left in the bag?" She hadn't told her mother that Mitchum had shown her the article in advance so she played along.

"Oh, of course." Distractedly, Emily lifted the bag from next to her and handed it off to her granddaughter. Rory took the bag and quickly pulled out the magazine, impatiently searching for the article and gluing her eyes to it once it was located.

"Well Lorelai, that was very well written. Very nice too." Richard placed his copy of the magazine down next to him and took a drink after finishing his 'kind' words to his daughter.

"Thanks Dad." Lorelai was used to her father's semi-cold tone and recognized one of his rare compliments when she heard it.

"What is all of this?" Todd asked now that Richard had finished, noticing the smile on Emily's face as she continued reading.

"Lorelai's inn was featured in an article written by Mitchum Huntzberger."

"Really?" Liz looked interested now that Mitchum's name had been mentioned.

"Yes. He interviewed both me, and my partner and chef a week or so ago. He's a very nice man, very professional. It was nice of him to write the article himself," Lorelai said, missing the glare that Julia sent first Rory and then her.

"Did you know him before that? I'm sure you must have met through your parents," Julia inquired.

"Julia!" Liz looked at her daughter, horrified that she would ask such a question.

"It's okay," Lorelai told Liz with a small smile. "I actually hadn't met him before the interview. Rory had run into him a time or two at Yale, she actually knows his son pretty well, but I was never a big fan of my parents parties. I didn't like to mingle with their friends while I was there either." Everyone laughed, though Richard and Emily's faces were a bit more strained then the others.

"You know Mitchum?" Todd asked Rory.

She nodded. "He comes into _The Yale Daily News_ every so often and I write there. I only met him a few weeks ago however. It was really nice of him to write such a glowing piece on The Dragonfly." Rory smiled at her grandparents and then her mother.

"And you know Logan too?" Liz inquired.

Once again Rory nodded. "I've hung out with him and his friends the past couple of weeks. They're very…eccentric." This had all the adults laughing.

"They do seem a bit different," Liz agreed. "So you've met Julia before as well? She's friends with them."

"Yes, we have run into each other," Rory said politely. "If you'll excuse me for a moment." She smiled at everyone and got up from here seat, heading towards the stairs and bypassing the room her grandmother had decorate for her for her mother's old room.

"If you'll excuse me," Lorelai said only a minute or two after Rory left the room.

"Lorelai, you can wait until Rory gets back, can't you?" Emily asked in a voice that made it clear to everyone that she didn't want her daughter leaving the room.

"I'll just be a minute mom," Lorelai answered as she left the room and headed down the same path as her daughter. "Hey babe." Lorelai pushed open the door to her old room knowing that Rory preferred that room over the one Emily had decorated with boy band posters. "You okay?'

"Do you realize who that is?" Rory asked, moving her head to face her mother, eyes opening to look at her.

"Annoying friends of my parents?" Lorelai remarked.

"Try again."

"Obviously someone you do not like," Lorelai stated.

"Give the woman a cookie," she said sarcastically.

"Wait a minute!" Lorelai shouted. "Is that?" She looked at her daughter, sitting next to her on the bed. "That's the on you kicked out of the room, who didn't like the movie night rules, right?"

"The one and only," Rory confirmed.

"The one who Logan and all his friends 'broke up with'?" Lorelai questioned.

"Also correct."

"Wow."

"Yeah."

"She's…"

"New money," Rory supplied.

"Really?" Lorelai remembered what society was like, what people really thought about new money and the very obvious difference between _those_ types and old money. "I wonder why my parents invited them, they must know that they're new money."

"I would assume so, everyone else does. But you know Grandma, she probably just wanted to be nice. I'm sure Liz joined some society so they now sit on the same committee and blah, blah, blah…"

"Wow, you're really not happy to see this girl, are you?"

"She's out to get me. The only reason she isn't making a move is because the others would be extremely unpleased and no one in her place would ever want to cross Logan and his friends."

"Oh really?" Lorelai raised her eyebrows.

"Oh yeah." Rory said. "The new money folks don't want to piss off the old money ones. It's funny because none of their families like the Bresser's either, they had to pretend for society sake as well as because the kids were all friends. I wouldn't be surprised if they were trying to get Grandma and Grandpa on 'their side' or something ridiculous like that."

Lorelai laughed; she had forgotten how ridiculous society could be. "What do you think they would do if you told them about how Julia's treated you?"

Rory joined in on her mother's laughter. "That's an interesting thought, think we can get them kicked out?"

"It's worth a try, isn't it?" Lorelai said with glee in her eyes.

Rory's laughter only continued. "I actually came up here to call…"

"Logan, yes I figured that out when I realized who exactly this girl is. Think he's going to come save you?" Lorelai teased.

"No mother! I'm not going to ask him to save me, but I think they'll all find it interesting. Maybe they can figure out how her family wrangled this invitation."

"Lorelai! Rory!" Emily's voice came from the hallway.

"Are you going to say something to her?" Lorelai asked, extremely curious.

"Girls! What are you doing up here? You're being extremely rude!" Emily scolded them as she opened the door.

"Actually Grandma, I wanted to talk to you about something, privately."

Emily's face softened at her granddaughter's words. "Can it wait until after dinner?"

"I'm afraid not," Rory said apologetically.

"Okay, what's going on?" She stared from her granddaughter to her daughter, wondering what was going on. The scheming that happened when the two of them got together was unbelievable at times. They could create mayhem in an instant, in a ridiculous way as well.

"I was wondering how you know the Bresser's, and why they're here tonight," Rory said in the sweetest voice she could muster.

Emily was surprised at the question. "I don't really see why a question like this is so important, but Liz and I met at the club, I thought it would be nice to have her and her family over. Julia is at Yale, your age too, I thought it would be nice for you to meet her as well."

"Oh, I've met her all right," Rory muttered, not expecting her grandmother to hear her.

"What was that?" She looked at Rory surprised.

"Nothing Grandma."

"Rory, I heard you, don't play games, what are you talking about?" Emily wasn't in the mood, she had company downstairs.

"I've had the unfortunate encounter with Julia Bresser."

"Really? When?"

"Oh, I know Logan, Colin, Steph, Finn, Rosemary and their friends. They were all good friends with Julia."

"Were?" Emily asked confused.

"Yes, were."

"What happened?"

"They stopped being friends with her."

"Why?" Emily had been aware that the Bresser's were new money and people like that didn't typically get along with those of old money but that didn't mean everyone fit into that stereotype.

"She isn't very nice; she's jealous, immature and vindictive. She also doesn't like me."

"Really?" Emily couldn't imagine someone not liking Rory—Rory was the sweetest girl in the world.

"Oh yes," Rory said adamantly. "She doesn't like that Logan likes me…better than her." The last part was said under her breath, but Emily still heard her.

"He likes you better, does he? She wouldn't be able to handle something like that. I was told that she has been after Logan since the day they meant. The whole family has stories like that, they're trying too hard. It's really tactless." Emily went on her on small tirade but as quickly as she started, she stopped. "Look, I know she's not the greatest, nor is her family, I firmly believe they're trying to butter us up. Though now you've told me that the Huntzberger's and the rest of their friends have shunned not only the daughter but the parents, it does make sense why they're so friendly to Richard and me lately. Don't you worry, I'll take care of it." Emily nodded her head and turned towards the stairs. "Well, are you two coming?" She was down four stairs before she noticed that no one was following her.

"Actually Grandma, I need to make a quick call before I come downstairs," Rory said softly.

Emily looked at her curiously. "Really? To Whom?"

Rory blushed and bit her lip before giving in an answering. "Logan," she mumbled.

Emily grinned as she watched her granddaughter. "I'm sorry, I didn't hear you." Lorelai rolled her eyes knowing perfectly well that her mother heard what Rory had said and wanted to gloat a little bit with the knowledge.

"Logan Grandma, I need to call Logan. Is that okay?" Rory's cheeks were bright red but she refused to look away.

Emily nodded. "Please don't be long. Lorelai, come on, downstairs, now."

Lorelai groaned but moved towards the stairs anyway. "Don't take too long kid," she whispered as she passed Rory.

"Sure Mom. I'll be right down Grandma, promise."

"You'll just be missing the salad, not that you enjoy that part anyway," Emily said as she led the way back into the living room. "Sorry for the delay everyone, dinner is ready so let's retire to the dining room shall we?"

They all stood, Richard leading the way and Emily and Lorelai taking the back. "Emily? Where's Rory? Is everything okay?"

"She's not sick, is she?" Liz asked, trying to sound concerned but not succeeding.

"Oh no, she's fine. Just needed to make a quick phone call.

Meanwhile, upstairs Rory was pacing across the room trying to get the nerve to make the phone call to Logan. She knew that he wouldn't mind hearing from her, but they hadn't really spoken since he kissed her last night and she almost didn't want to ruin the happy thought of it with an awkward conversation. Logan Huntzberger wasn't the kind of guy that had girlfriends and Rory didn't want to pressure him, but she _was_ the kind of girl to have boyfriends. She didn't do casual, she did strings, she liked strings, but she would never ask Logan for them. That would be suicide. So instead she was pacing the room trying to get up courage to call and tell him that her newest enemy was sitting downstairs at her grandparent's dining room table. Finally, though, she did it.

"Hey Ace, how are you?" Logan answered after only three rings, having had looked at the caller-id before picking up.

"Hi Logan. I'm okay, how are you?" She continued pacing the room, knowing that she only had a few more minutes before her grandmother got royally annoyed with her.

"Good thanks. Aren't you supposed to be at your grandparent's house for dinner?" He had made her promise to call and let him know if she was returning to school, he wanted her to come out with them.

"I'm actually still here," she said quickly.

"Is everything okay?" He couldn't imagine why she would be calling him during the middle of dinner. Emily Gilmore would not approve of such an action; she would be away from the table too long. Unless, of course, she told her grandmother that there was something more serious going on between the two of then. Logan had no idea what Rory was thinking since their kiss—hell, he didn't he know how he felt after the kiss. He'd never had a girlfriend before, he'd never _wanted_ a girlfriend before. Things were all mixed-up in his mind, the only thing he was sure of being that he wanted Rory Gilmore and couldn't stop thinking about her.

"Umm…well…" She wondered why it was so hard to tell him what was going on at her grandparent's house. Then she realized that she didn't want him thinking she called so he would rescue her. Honestly, she had no idea why she felt the need to call him at all. They weren't dating. It was ridiculous. "Actually, you know what? It's nothing. I'm coming back to school after dinner, I'll give you a call, find out where you all are and meet you then."

"Ace? Are you sure?" He could tell that wasn't the reason that she called him. There was something that she wanted to say but for some reason couldn't get the words out.

"Yeah…yeah…don't worry about it. I'll see you in a couple of hours." Without giving him a chance to say anything else Rory hung up her phone, put it on silent and threw it back into her purse before heading downstairs to dinner. "I apologize for taking so long," Rory said to everyone at the table.

"Are you feeling okay?" Richard asked her, looking at her curiously.

"Just fine thanks Grandpa. I just needed to talk a friend through a problem, it took longer then expected." Everyone seemed to accept that answer and dinner finished somewhat pleasantly, both Gilmore girls happy to see Emily's wrath placed upon someone other then the two of them. The Bresser's were sure to not only dislike the Gilmores by the end of the evening, but truly understand the different between old and new money. Old money families stuck together, and stood up for themselves. The Gilmores would not let people like The Bresser's treat their granddaughter or her friends the way Julia had. It was unacceptable in polite society.

They were reseated in the parlor for dessert and an after dinner drink when the doorbell rang. "Emily? Are we expecting anyone else?" Richard asked from his chair.

"No. We're not." She said abruptly. "I'll go see who it is."

Rory, who had been sitting closest to the door, could hear who it was immediately after the maid answered. "Actually Grandma, why don't I go?" Before Emily could say anything Rory got up and hurried to the door. "Thank you Marcy, I can take it from here." She smiled at the maid and turned back to the uninvited guest. "What are you doing here?" She hissed at him.

"Are you saying you didn't miss me?" He gave her his trademark smirk.

"I was going to call you when I left, what are you doing here Logan?" They were standing outside now, Rory having closed the door behind her, her hand still on the doorknob.

"You sounded weird on the phone, what was that about?" Logan looked at her closely, curious to know what the real meaning of the phone call was.

"It was…nothing. I don't know why I didn't wait until after dinner to call you. I'm sorry to have bothered you, but you really didn't need to come out here."

"It's no problem, like I said, you sounded weird and since I was the one you chose to call I wanted to make sure everything's okay. Is everything okay?" He smiled at her, moving a step closer.

Rory began to get nervous as he moved closer to her, upset that she couldn't hide the emotions he elicited in her from him. "Everything's…fine. Just…dinner was a little bit different then I imagined. My grandparents had guests, I wasn't prepared for guests."

"Guests take the pressure off of you, don't they?" He asked while taking another step closer to her.

"Usually yes. And they did that tonight as well, but they still weren't people I would have expected at dinner," Rory told him. For the life of her she couldn't figure out why she couldn't tell him that Julia and her parents were sitting inside of her grandparents house. She wanted to tell him how hilarious the meal had been with her grandmother being a society bitch to the Bressers.

"Oh really? Who was here? Who is still here?" Logan had seen the cars in the driveway. He took another step closer to her, moving his head so their lips were barely separated. Before she could answer him he pressed their lips together, repeating the kiss from last night and deepening it at the same time. Logan was satisfied when he felt her arms wrap around his neck and his automatically wrap around her waist.

"Rory?" Her grandmother's voice interrupted them, Rory falling slightly backwards when the front door, which she was leaning against, opened. "What is going on out here?" She was surprised to not only find an unknown boy outside with her granddaughter but that they were kissing as well.

"Oh, sorry Grandma, I didn't realize I was out here so long." Rory blushed as she spoke, the color deepening when she saw Logan grinning at her.

"Who is this boy with you?" The tone of her grandmother's voice was less than friendly as Rory slowly turned towards her and stepped to the side.

"Grandma, I believe that you've met Logan Huntzberger before. Logan, this is my grandmother Emily Gilmore." She almost laughed when she saw her grandmother's face pale.

"Logan! How wonderful to see you. I didn't know you were coming tonight!" Emily smiled at him. "Won't you come in, please?"

"Thank you Mrs. Gilmore. I wasn't planning on stopping by but I knew Rory was here and thought I'd see if she was finished dinner and wanted to join me and my friends for the rest of the evening. I was just coming from dinner with my parents of course, and they're not too far from your house."

Emily nodded in understanding. "Please, call me Emily Logan. You're welcome here anytime, any friend of Rory's is a friend of ours." Rory could see the wheels in Emily's head turning. "Do you have time to join us for a drink before stealing our granddaughter away? This is the only time we get to see her after all, and we would hate to loose her early."

Logan looked at Rory quickly before answering. "That would be great Emily. Thank you. I hate to intrude."

"You're not intruding. We have company this evening as well. Come in and meet everyone." Emily led the way, satisfied to see Logan put a hand on the small of Rory's back as they followed her into the other room.

"Emily? Who was at the door? Where's Rory?" Richard asked when he saw his wife come back into the room.

"She's right here Richard. It was actually a friend of hers at the door, he wants to take her out with him and his friends now."

"He?" Richard stood, looking behind his wife to see the young man who was rude enough to interrupt their dinner.

"Yes, sir. I hope you'll forgive me for showing up without an invitation and unannounced," Logan spoke up from behind Emily.

"Logan! How good to see you again!" He smiled at the young man and shook his extended hand. "And please, call me Richard."

Logan nodded his head in acknowledgment. "Rory and I have become friends these past couple of weeks. Believe it or not my father introduced us one afternoon when he came by the YDN." Apparently Richard had forgotten that Logan escorted Rory to a family event only a couple of weeks ago.

"Well I'm glad to see that Rory's making friends like you and yours. A fine group of young people you are," Richard commented.

"Thank you."

"Logan, this is our daughter Lorelai," Richard introduced her, "and you may know Liz and Todd Bresser and their daughter Julia. I believe you and Julia went to school together for quite some time, and still do it seems."

Logan smiled at everyone. "Yes we did." He nodded at her and her parents. "Lorelai, a pleasure to see you again." He gave her his most charming smile and shook her hand. He had picked up pretty quickly that she wasn't the kind of woman whose hand you kissed.

"Good to see you again," Lorelai said with a grin. She looked him up and down and then over to her daughter. "I'm glad you decided to keep him around, I approve!" She said, effectively embarrassing Rory and making her cheeks go red.

"Thank you," Logan said with a smirk, rubbing Rory's back in what was meant to be a comforting manner. She only glared at him.

"I believe you said you were taking Rory out with your friends tonight, didn't you?" Emily asked him.

"I did Emily. After you're finished with her here of course. I wouldn't want to take away from your family dinner."

"Of course," Emily said in understanding. "Rory, if you're finished please feel free to leave."

"Are you sure Grandma?" Rory was excited to leave but she didn't want to leave her mother alone.

"Of course! Go have fun with your friends. We'll see you next week." She smiled at the young couple. "Logan, if you don't have plans with your family for next Friday please consider joining us for dinner."

"I'll have to check my schedule Emily," Logan started, "but I don't believe I have anything else planned."

"Wonderful! Just let me know as soon as you have a chance. Rory can give you the number."

Logan nodded. "Of course. Are you ready Ace?" He asked turning in her direction.

"Sure." She moved to kiss her grandparents goodbye and smiled at the Bresser's. "It was nice meeting you." Turning to her mother she grinned. "Mom? Walk to the door with us?"

"Sure kid!" Lorelai got up quickly, before either of her parents could object, and linked her arm through Rory's, leaving Logan to follow them through the door. "Wow! What a night!" Lorelai exclaimed once they were all outside.

"Unbelievable! Did you know Grandma could be like that to anyone but us?"

"Us? I think it's more like me!" They laughed and Lorelai looked at Logan. "Nice of you to get her out of this, really. Now, you two have fun, you hear?"

"That's it?" Rory looked at her mother, obviously expecting her to have more to say about Logan than that.

"Oh, don't you worry, I expect details, but not right now. You have fun and call me tomorrow. I need to know _everything_ INCLUDING the kiss on the front porch that my mother caught."

"Excuse me?" _How in the hell did she know about that?_

"Come on Ace, you can fill her in tomorrow. It was nice meeting you Lorelai."

"You too blondie." Lorelai waved as they got into Rory's car, Logan driving, and then headed back into the house to deal with the end of dinner.


	16. What Do You Feel?

Chapter 16: What Do You Feel

**Chapter 16: What Do You Feel?**

"You're serious?" Steph asked from her seat across from Rory.

Rory nodded. "You should have seen the look on Liz's face. Wow."

"You should have told me. I wouldn't have missed that for anything!" Logan complained. He had figured out that Rory's earlier phone call was to tell him that Julia was there. Why she didn't he wasn't sure of, but she didn't. "Though the face they all had when I walked into the living room was classic."

"That was nothing. The way my mom was, wow. She was perfect, all night. I think even Grandma appreciated her inappropriate comments for once. And that's big," Rory told everyone. "But at least that's over with. If they don't pick up the tension from this evening, I don't know what will happen."

"Lorelai Leigh!" A female voice rang out from behind her, drink in hand.

"Yes?" Rory answered meekly, shocking her friends, they had never seen her look so timid.

"You left too early! It only got better!" The voice paused, "but you shouldn't leave Mommy in hell like that. It wasn't very nice, extra hot this evening."

"The Devil himself?" Rory teased.

"Close to it. Adolph's friends were unbelievable, and you all are actually friends with them?" Lorelai asked the group at large. They nodded, still a little too shocked to say anything. "Introductions please."

Rory took the glass from her mother's hand and drank some before looking at everyone. "Colin, Steph, Rosemary, Finn and you know Logan, this is my mother, Lorelai; call her anything else and she'll kill you. Mom, the rest of the gang, sit with us." Lorelai took a seat next to her daughter. "How's dad?"

Lorelai looked shocked at Rory's question. "He's good…why?"

"You just talk to him more than I do these days, figured I'd get an update and all."

"Oh." Lorelai finished her drink, placing a hand on Finn's arm when he moved to get up and refresh it for her. Once he took his seat again she raised her glass towards the bar, smiled and nodded at the table. Apparently the bartender understood because a few minutes later there were fresh drinks delivered to the entire table.

"You _have to_ teach me how to do that!" Rosemary exclaimed.

"I don't think so," Finn answered quickly with a shake of his head.

Rosemary simply laughed at him. "You have no say in the matter Mr. Rothschild."

"It seems I started something without even trying," Lorelai commented looking at her daughter. "Okay, so you left and you missed the show! I'm telling you everything before your exit was simply a warm-up. My mother was in fine form tonight. Fine form. Five minutes after you left they sent Julia away. I don't know why they wouldn't let me go, but apparently since you were involved I needed to hear the entire thing. Which is totally unfair because you were involved, so was Julia, and _I_ had to listen to four grown adults argue? Are you serious? The things I do for you my darling daughter. It started with Chilton and the responsibility has only grown—I thought once you were in college and all legal all I had to do was watch movies and eat pizza with you. Oh, and pick up cute boys, though you seemed to handle that without my help." She pouted after the last part, causing Rory to simply laugh at her.

"First of all, I need to know _everything_ about Act Two. Seriously! I didn't think Grandma got worse, unless of course Grandpa joined in, then there's a real show. Maybe even an encore I hope, I would have to see that. Then again I did see it the only time I ever met…but let's not talk about them, shall we? I'm sorry that you had to sit through it, I wouldn't put you through that for any other reason then I want to know the details, so spill! I wonder if Julia's headed this way to yell at everyone here, it wouldn't surprise me. She's out for death or something, seriously, she's taking everything way too personal, but what other way can you really take five people telling you they don't want to be your friend?" She laughed. "I did manage the cute boy part, but so did you! May I remind you of the one you found in high school?" Rory's extremely fast paced speech baffled everyone else but Lorelai followed along perfectly.

"You found one at Chilton too!" Lorelai protested.

"I did not!" Rory argued. "I tried to get rid of him, and I succeeded!" She seemed proud of herself.

"So spill already!" Stephanie shouted out. "I finally figured out what you two have been talking about at warp speed and I'd like to hear the story. Personally, I wouldn't mind it from the beginning." Rory hadn't really gone into details or anything.

Lorelai laughed at Stephanie and turned to her daughter. "You sure you're ready, it got ugly. Uglier then you know when ever…"

"Tell me!" Rory pounced excitedly in her chair waiting to hear the story.

Always one to enjoy a captive audience Lorelai jumped into story mode. They were wide eyed by the time she got to the part Rory had been waiting for. "Are you serious?" Rory asked, completely stunned.

"_It's your granddaughter's fault! If she wasn't so—" Liz was cut off by Richard._

"_I would watch how you finish that sentence!" Richard's voice echoed throughout the room._

"_Don't talk to my wife like that!" Todd yelled._

"_Don't talk to my husband like that, especially not in our home! Your daughter," Emily spat out, "has done nothing but hurt Rory. Rory doesn't deserve it. And from the looks she was sending her during dinner."_

"_What looks?" Liz asked._

"_Oh don't tell me you didn't see it. The hateful, vindictive glares Julia sent across the table for no reason!"_

"_There was perfect reason!" Liz argued._

"_Well then, what was it?" Richard asked, wanting to figure out what was really going on._

"_Your granddaughter managed to steal Julia's friends and boyfriend away!" Lorelai couldn't help laughing. "What are you laughing at?" Liz's attention was drawn to her immediately._

"_They may have been her friends but he was never her boyfriend!" Lorelai told them._

"_That was just a minor technicality, they didn't need the label, they knew where they stood."_

"_Yes, as _friends_. I don't know why that's so hard for you and your daughter to understand but he wasn't interested in her as more than a friend."_

"_How are you suddenly the authority on Logan Huntzberger?" Liz asked spitefully._

"_Wait! You're talking about Logan?" Emily asked, having been completely confused by the conversation before this point._

"_Yes, who else?" Liz turned her attention to the older woman for a moment._

"Wait, you were arguing about me?' Logan asked, completely surprised and slightly blushing.

"Why yes young Huntzberger, we were arguing about you. Though I was trying to defend you more than argue, but with _those _people in the room it was more than difficult to stick to that task. Hope you don't mind."

Logan was shocked, no one really defended him but his friends—not even his parents. Well, unless it was about the newspaper business, then his father defended him. "No…thank you." He stared at her.

"Back to the story!" Rory demanded.

"_Yes, who else?" Liz turned her attention to the older woman for a moment._

"_I don't understand, he just came here and picked up Rory," Richard looked around the room._

"_Yes, and before _your_ granddaughter came into the picture he would have been picking up Julia!" Todd argued._

"_You are seriously living in another world. Now I understand what Rory had been saying." Lorelai was muttering to herself but somehow the others overheard._

"_What has your darling daughter been saying?" Liz asked, the sarcasm obvious._

"_It's not important. You need to worry about controlling your own daughter. Obviously you aren't aware of her behavior."_

"_What's going on?" Richard's voice boomed again._

"_It seems that your precious Rory has taken Julia's place with her good friends from boarding school."_

"_You mean Logan and his friends?" Richard asked._

"_Those are the ones," Todd told him._

"_Well I highly doubt Rory asked for their attentions," Richard said confidently._

"_Yes, if there is anything Lorelai has taught her daughter it is that society and its off spring are evil," Emily said annoyed._

"_Hey! How did this become about me?" Lorelai asked defensively._

_Emily shook her head. "I'm sure Rory didn't ask to take anyone's _spot_ she likes to include everyone."_

"_The girl hates to be hated. It's weird, but true. She doesn't like to fight. She has to be provoked," Lorelai defended her daughter._

"_It doesn't matter! They told her that they didn't want to be friends with her because of Rory!" _

"_It's time to get your facts straight Liz!" Lorelai's voice got louder. "Your precious little Julia not only accused Rory of having an eating disorder."_

"_Preposterous!" Emily exclaimed. "She eats too much!"_

"_Apparently she can eat that much and look so thin because she has the eating disorder," she told her mother. "But the insults didn't stop there."_

"_Excuse me?" Richard didn't take insults to his family well…at all._

"_Julia went on to accuse Rory of liking Logan for his contacts and Logan of only wanting to 'get into Rory's pants'." Lorelai knew her parents wouldn't appreciate the reference, but they would understand it. "And then…"_

"_There's more?" Emily's eyes went wide and she glared at the Bressers._

"_Oh yes, there's more. She then went on to say that Rory was sleeping with Mitchum."_

"_Unbelievable!" Richard sent his own glare to the couple across from them. "Completely tasteless!"_

"_Does your daughter have no tact at all?" Emily asked, also glaring at Liz and Todd. "I swear, sometimes new money…" She shook her head as she spoke._

"_Excuse me?" Todd asked, overhearing Emily's last sentence._

"_Don't raise your voice to my wife in our home!" Richard jumped in._

"_If she has something to say about us I'd like her to say it out loud and not mumble. That seems to be her daughter's trait."_

"_Don't talk about my daughter like that!" Richard defended her._

"_What were you saying Emily?" Liz asked in a sickeningly sweet tone._

"_I was just saying that sometimes with new money people are less refined." Lorelai was shocked to hear her mother say something like that in front of the person she was referring. "Now, if you'd please leave." Emily stood and moved towards the door, happy to hear the sound of footsteps behind her indicating that the couple was following her. "I hope you enjoyed dinner, please remove us from your Rolodex." Emily closed the door after them and Lorelai looked in shock._

"_Wow. Mom. Wow!"_

"_What? That was totally unacceptable! I can't believe that they would blame Rory for something that she had no control over! She would never do something purposely. Not to mention I had heard some of the story from Shira herself at the last DAR meeting. Nancy Vanderbilt was practically dancing with glee over Stephanie ending her friendship with Julia. None of us are very interested in the Bressers. They have no class!"_

_Lorelai just stared. "Well thank you both for a very interesting evening and for defending both me and Rory."_

"_You're family Lorelai, this is what you do for family," Richard told her._

"And then I left," Lorelai finished. Rory only stared at her, that was some conversation alright.

**GGGGGGG**

She'd been stewing for what felt like weeks but was more like four days. They had to talk eventually, he had agreed to Friday night dinner after all, but she was somewhat dreading it. The conversation would either be awkward meaning that they would avoid talking about the kiss, or it would be awkward meaning they _were_ going to talk about the kiss. Honestly, how do you talk to the guy that you've been "stalking" for months and have become friends with not to mention develop a major crush on him. They had parted late Friday night/early Saturday morning at her doorstep—no big kiss though there was some tension. Now, well now she needed to decide what she wanted. Logan wasn't the kind of person to beat around the bush and she needed to know where she stood. But that was the problem. She didn't want to be hurt by Logan so maybe it was simply safer to remain friends, but then what did she do with her feelings?

"You're still brooding?" Paris asked as she walked through the door. In addition to her "brooding" Rory had also spent very little time out of the room. Since she had no idea what she was going to say Rory had no interest in running into Logan.

"No! I'm not!" Rory protested Paris' observation.

"There's no use lying to me, I know you, don't forget that. You like Logan Huntzberger and you don't know what to do about it. Admit your feelings to both you and him and move on with it. Become one of the many."

Rory glared at her. She was trying to ignore the tugging feeling that told her she would be just one of the many. She didn't want that, that scared her. Logan's reputation made her worry about saying something to him about how she was feeling. For all she knew he would laugh at her but then again he did kiss her the other night and he's going to _another_ Friday night dinner with her grandparents. That has to say something, right? Oy, why was this so hard?

"Gilmore!" Paris yelled, causing Rory to jump.

"What?"

"Answer the door already!"

"Why can't you do it? You're closer!" Rory rebutted.

"Because!"

"That's not an answer!" Rory retorted and stomped towards the door, swinging it open.

"Bad afternoon Ace?" Logan was leaning against the door jam with a smirk on his mouth. A smirk that Rory wanted to slap off his face; she was shocked by her urge and clenched her fist to stop herself from the action.

"Just stressful," she answered without inviting him in.

"Everything okay?"

"Just swell. What's up?" She wanted to move this whole conversation along and give herself some time to figure out what she feeling.

"I haven't seen you all week, I wanted to make sure that you were okay. You haven't even shown up at the paper." He was trying to act nonchalant but Logan wasn't sure it was working. Truthfully, he had spent the past few days trying to figure out not only what he felt for Rory and what was he going to do about his feelings but having an internal battle over what he wanted to feel. It seemed that even when you talk about emotions you can't always get what you want.

She felt her "cold" exterior melt at his apparently sincere concern over her absence since they last saw each other. It made her wonder if he had been thinking about the kiss as much as she had; if he had come to any kind of decision because she sure hadn't. "Rory?" He called her name, having expected an answer from his previous statement.

"What?"

Logan smiled at her. She was obviously caught up in her own thoughts and ceased to pay attention to him. He wasn't sure if he should be offended by that fact or not, the jury was still out. "Do you want to get some coffee? Catch up?" He looked at her with hopeful eyes, really wanting to talk to her.

Internally Rory groaned, it wasn't against code to say no to coffee, she had no choice. Part of her was thankful for her mother's code and part of her wanted to shove it. For better or worse she listened to the thankful part of her brain and nodded at him.  
"That sounds good. Let me grab my keys and such." She got her keys and wallet, meeting him back at the door.

"Ready?" He waited for her to lock up the door before placing his hand on the small of her back and leading her towards the coffee shop. "So…" He didn't know how to start the conversation.

Rory blushed. She knew it was going to come up but she thought maybe she'd have a cup of coffee or five in her system first. But apparently Logan had different plans. "What's on your mind Huntzberger?" She decided to play it cool, not wanting to assume that he wanted to talk about Friday night; Friday night where they acted more like a couple then ever before.

Logan was only slightly surprised that she knew something was bugging him. Rory was pretty good at reading him and as always that fact freaked him out. They hadn't known each other for that long but she knew him. Sometimes she would say or do things, react to him in ways that made him think she was a freak—that's how well she knew him, how well she could read him. No one had ever gotten that close before. Of course Colin, Finn and Steph knew him pretty well, but there were still things he would hold back from them. There were things he carried on his shoulders that no one would understand—that is until he met Rory Gilmore. "That obvious?" He played along with a chuckle.

"Just to someone who knows you," she answered.

"Do you?" He questioned, his earlier thoughts repeating in his mind.

"I guess." She blushed, tucked a piece of hair behind her ear and shrugged.

He couldn't help but smile at her actions. He was getting better at reading her, all the time spent watching her this semester was actually paying off. "Isn't it weird though?"

"Isn't what weird?" She looked at him curiously.

"That you know me so well and we haven't been friends for that long."

"Sometimes people click I guess."

"I mean you're not even true society." Logan thought out loud.

"Is there something wrong with that?" Rory asked defensively. There wasn't a day that went by that she didn't thank her mother for taking her away from society's prying eyes and ears but Logan using it as some kind of negative characteristic both shocked and annoyed her.

"No! It's actually a really good thing, a _really_ good thing." He calmed down a little, releasing the tension in his shoulders from her tone, when he saw he facial features react. "I like that you're not a society girl, you're real."

"Yes, there's not an inch of plastic in me and I'm proud of it!"

Logan laughed. "Well I meant it in another manner, but that way does fit as well." She nodded. "You don't think it's strange that we get along so well? Spend so much time together?" He questioned.

"Do we really spend that much time together?"

"Well, Julia is no longer our friend and you are. Not that we aren't happy about that," Logan added quickly, not wanting to upset her again, "it's just a fact. We didn't know you that long before you just became a part of our group. You're nothing like us yet you fit so well."

"What can I say, you all just needed a bit of reality thrown at you!"

He smiled at her answer. "I guess." He was trying to figure out how to ask her about Friday when he decided being blunt would be best. "Rory…" He trailed off wanting to get her attention.

"Yeah?" She looked at him, unable to read the expression on his face. He looked kind of nervous but Logan Huntzberger didn't do nervous!

"We kissed Friday night."

Rory blushed. "I know." She looked at the ground.

"Well…what does that mean?"

He didn't seem to notice the people that were watching them, trying to listen in to their conversation but Rory did. It made her even more uncomfortable. "I need a cup of coffee before we talk about this. And can we please finish this conversation without an audience?"

Her question got him to look around at the people staring at them. "Yeah, sure Ace, let's get you that coffee. My room's not far from here, is that okay?"

"Are the guys home?" She asked, not wanting to continue the conversation in front of them either.

"Nope. Won't be for a while either." They reached the front of the line, ordered and headed to Logan's room without saying anything.

"What's going on?" She asked him. Rory had no idea what to expect—Logan didn't do the whole girlfriend thing, she knew that, it wasn't a surprise or anything. It didn't make it easier on her feelings but it was better then getting her hopes up.

"I don't have girlfriends," he told her.

"I know."

She seemed sad and he was only slightly surprised at how that made him feel. It seemed that his emotions could be affected by hers. "I don't have girlfriends, I don't feel this way about girls, I don't…I don't…I don't get attached!" He finally screamed without really meaning to raise his voice. "I just don't understand what you're doing to me!"

"I don't know what you're doing to me either!" She answered him. "You're definitely not the kind of guy I ever saw myself dating. You're not my mom's choice either. And yes, I know that we're not dating but you know what I mean. I don't know what we are Logan, I don't know what I feel." She sighed. "I know what I want to feel," she mumbled, "but my head and heart aren't agreeing at the moment."

He stared at her, completely surprised to hear her say the same things he was thinking. "What do you want to feel?" He asked, extremely curious.

There was no way she could get him to answer the question first. "Friendship. Platonic feelings. I want to feel about you the same way I feel about Colin and Finn. I don't want you to be different!"

"But I am?" Logan asked, hoping, against his better judgment, that he was different to her. He wanted to be something more then a friend in her mind.

"Yes. I don't like it. I'm trying to ignore it. I'm trying to forget about Friday night, but it isn't working."

"Why would you want to forget about?" Logan asked her.

"Because why should I torture myself with the memory if I know I can't have it again? To remember that kiss on my grandparent's porch, to play it over in my mind, knowing that you're with other girls, that you don't commit to anyone, that isn't what I want. I don't want to be pining for you Logan, I know that you don't have girlfriends, I respect that; and I can be your friend even if I have more than friendly feelings for you." Rory was going to continue her rant when she realized she could ask him the question now. "Logan, what do _you_ want to feel?"

He looked surprised at her question when he really shouldn't have been. Rory had always been someone to return a good question. "I want what you want Rory. I want to forget it happened, I want to go on the way things were before Friday, I want to stay _just friends_ but…"

"But?" She looked at him, wondering what was coming next.

"But every time I'm on a date with someone else I'll think of you and every time I see you with another guy I'll be jealous. I don't like admitting it, but it's the truth. And I don't want to be jealous, I don't like that thought. I'm not a jealous person; I'm not! But there's something about you…" He looked up at her. "Ace, I want to have nothing more than platonic feelings for you, I do, but it's just not that simple." He had moved so they were standing face to face.

"What now?" She asked, not really understanding what he _wasn't_ saying.

Logan shrugged before speaking. "Well we each know what we _don't_ want, but what about what we_ do_ want?" She took a step closer to him and he smiled, reaching a hand out to wrap around her waist and pull her closer to him. When she was close enough to put her arms around his neck he leaned down and kissed her. It was a perfect kiss, something close to their last one, but much more emotion involved. It scared them both.

"What does this mean Logan?" Rory asked once they had separated.

"It means that…well…I think we should date." He looked into her eyes, wanting to see her facial reaction. "Exclusively." He added in the last part, wanting to make it clear.

"Exclusively?" Rory repeated once she had swallowed. Logan nodded. "But…but…I thought you didn't have girlfriends! You're not a boyfriend kind of guy!"

"But _you're_ a girlfriend girl and I want to be with you. I told you what I want to feel, but what I really feel is the opposite. I feel so much more than friendship for you Ace. I've never had feelings like this about any other girl. They're scary, but not trying this out with you would be scarier."

She stared at him for a minute or two, looking into his chocolate eyes for any indication that he was playing around with her. "You really want this? You want to be my boyfriend?"

"I want to be your boyfriend Ace. I want to introduce you as my girlfriend."

"What about all of those girls?"

"Don't worry about them," he said, pushing a piece of hair behind her ear before kissing her again.

"Worry about who?" She asked him when he moved his lips from hers a few centimeters, allowing some air into their bodies.

"Exactly," he whispered, attaching their lips once again.


	17. Good News Travels Fast

Chapter 17: Good News Travels Fast

**Chapter 17: Good News Travels Fast**

They had officially been together for one day, sixteen hours and twenty minutes, but Rory wasn't counting. Nope, not counting at all. She was barely even thinking about everything that had happened in the past week. Rory didn't have time to think about everything that happened from the movie night 'disaster' in her room to officially getting together with Logan. Nope, she hadn't thought about it at all. She hadn't really spoken to anyone about it either. After they decided on the boyfriend/girlfriend status of their relationship, Logan and Rory had gone out for a celebratory dinner knowing that their peaceful time together would be interrupted the minute their friends got wind of the change in their relationship. Somehow or other they had managed to avoid their friends thus far, but Rory was waiting for the other shoe to drop. She hadn't seen anyone except Logan since after Friday night dinner and while it didn't bother her she had expected at least Stephanie to be knocking down her door for details on the relationship.

Finally making it into her room after a long day of both classes and the paper Rory fell onto her bed and pressed down on her speed dial, waiting for the other person to pick up.

"Hello, Dragonfly Inn," the cultivated, bored French voice answered the phone.

Rory rolled her eyes, knowing that it was just her luck that she was in such a fantastic mood and Michele had to answer the phone and therefore bring her mood down. "Hi Michele, it's Rory, is my mom there?"

"Yes, I suppose she is here somewhere."

Once again she wondered how the man had kept his job all these years. The guests must think he's just putting on some kind of show for them. If only they knew it was not only his real attitude but he had a love of Celine Dion, their outlook on the situation would drastically change. "Would you happen to know where?" Rory instantly cursed herself for not just calling her mother's cell phone.

"Am I your mother's keeper?" The annoyed French voice asked.

She scoffed softly at the overused phrase Michele probably didn't understand was a Biblical reference. "No, you are not, but since you work at the front desk you see her walk by all the time. Does she happen to be close to you now?" It was a good thing she was in such a good mood, otherwise this conversation would drive her crazy.

"I do not know."

Rory knew he was flipping through some kind of magazine instead of paying attention to her. "Michele! Where's my mother?" She heard the clatter of something on the floor and knew that he had been scared by her loud voice.

"You insufferable child!" He yelled, muttering under his breath in French while he looked for Lorelai, or so Rory assumed that's what he was doing. "Your terrible offspring is on the phone," his voice was louder now.

"Fruit of my loins!" Lorelai exclaimed picking up the phone.

"Do you have to call me that?" She made a face at the name. "And can you please explain to me again why you let him answer the phone? Even better how do people stay on the phone long enough for him to make their reservation? Don't they get offended? Do you get a lot of complaints about his attitude? Because if you don't then I'm going to start."

Lorelai laughed. Michele's personality was not really one of the service industry but he was a staple at the inn that neither she nor Sookie could imagine not having. "Sorry hon, he's in a particularly sarcastic mood today."

"PMS?" Rory asked.

"Probably kid. So what's up?"

"Do I have to have a reason to call my favorite mother?"

"Your only mother," Lorelai reminded her.

"Simply semantics," Rory waved off.

"So you called?"

"What? No small talk? No how are you? How was your day? What's new?" Rory asked only pretending to be slightly offended.

"I'm sorry my darling daughter. How are you? How was your day? What's new?" Lorelai repeated Rory's questions with a laugh.

Rory growled, sometimes her mother could be a lot to handle. "I'm great."

"Really? What happened? Does it have to do with the Young Huntzberger?"

"Yes." Rory heard the smug tone in her voice.

"What happened? Come on, tell Mommy about the Blonde God you've been kissing." Lorelai was practically bouncing as she walked into the kitchen.

"Blonde God?" Sookie's voice could be heard on the phone. "What happened with Rory?"

"I don't know yet. You have any chocolate cake?'

"Oh mom, that's not fair, Sookie's chocolate cake!" Rory whined, loving the rich cake that her mother was rubbing in her face.

"You're the one who knows the Blonde God, so stop complaining and start talking missy!"

"We're dating," she supplied quickly.

"What? When? How?" Lorelai's full attention was now focused on the phone.

"What: Logan and I are dating, officially and exclusively; when: as of last night; how: we came clean with our feelings and he said he wanted to try the whole commitment thing, so that's what we're doing."

"Really?"

"Yes,"

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Really?"

"Mom! Yes! That's what happened."

"I want more details, you're leaving something out!"

"I'm not, I swear." Rory knew her mother wouldn't be satisfied without knowing the play-by-play of her conversation with Logan yesterday afternoon so with a sigh she started in on everything that was said between them. She was almost finished when there was a knock on the door and the other person waited only a second before opening it and coming in.

"You didn't call me! Why didn't you call me? Do you know I had to hear about you and Logan from some pissed off sorority girl on campus? I can't believe it, I thought we were friends!"

"Steph? Did you find her?" Another female voice rang out through the hallway.

"In her room, nonchalantly on the phone like nothing new is going on," Steph called back to Rosemary who appeared in Rory's room a minute later and closed the door behind her.

"I can't believe you didn't tell us!" Steph started her tirade again.

Rory sighed and decided to hang up with her mother and turn her attention to her friends. "Mom? I have to go, there are two very upset society girls in my room."

"Oh, you should calm them down. Society girls are enough to handle when they've spent a lot of someone else's money and have been liquored up but when they're upset nothing good can happen at all. You go handle those girls honey, and make sure you call me back later. I'm not done talking to you about this. I can't believe you didn't call me last night! I'm crushed!"

"Goodbye mom, I'll talk to you later." Rory ended the call, threw her cell phone on the coffee table and looked at her friends. "Hi girls, come in, won't you? Do you want anything to drink? Coffee?" She pushed herself off of the couch and towards the kitchen to get herself a cup of coffee that had finished brewing while she had been talking to her mother.

"No, I don't want anything to drink," Steph said in a harsh tone. "What I want to know is what happened between you and Logan and why you didn't tell me!" She sounded offended yet happy at the same time.

Rory shrugged as she poured the coffee and came back to take her place on the couch. "Logan and I are together…officially." She supplied simply, smiling at the glares she got from both girls.

"We know that!" Rosemary complained.

"So what are you bothering me for?" Rory asked, playing with them, knowing they were frustrated with her.

"We want details! We know better then to believe any of the rumors that are going around. It's obvious that you're not carrying Logan's baby and none of your families have arranged your marriages. Though we can't say that someone else didn't knock you up. You already have the internship with Mitchum you can't be using Logan for some kind of connection to his family. It's also untrue that he's with you because of your name because no offense the Gilmore name doesn't mean as much as the Huntzberger name."

"It means more when you add Hayden to it," Rory muttered.

"What?" Rosemary asked.

"Nothing. I'm sorry I didn't tell you."

"Good! Now spill!" Stephanie's attitude had changed from one of pure annoyance to one of excitement and gossip in a mere second.

"Excuse me?" Rory looked at her like she had two heads.

"All I wanted was for you to apologize for not telling me immediately," Steph said with a shrug. "Now I just want details, so spill! How did it happen?"

"We sat down and talked yesterday," Rory started.

"About what?"

"About Friday night."

"What happened Friday night?" Rosemary asked.

"We kissed."

"What?" Steph's eyes bugged out of her head. "How come you didn't tell me this?"

"I wanted to deny it. I wanted to deny how it made me feel."

"Figures. Go on," she said with a nod of her head.

Rory looked at her strangely before continuing. "Logan came by my grandparents house Friday night, towards the end of dinner."

"Right, I know, you called him, he thought it was strange so he went to check on you. Logan can charm his way in or out of anything so your grandparents wouldn't be a problem."

"That's when he kissed me."

"In front of your grandparents?" Rosemary asked. "Oh, or in front of the Bressers, to make a point and all?"

"No, in front of the house. I met him at the door, I was trying to get him to leave before my grandparents saw him out there. Nothing good could have come from him coming inside and egging on both Julia and her parents. Dinner was strained enough after I told my grandmother why Julia and I didn't get along. Anyway, I tried to keep Logan from coming inside but he kissed me, distracted me and my grandmother came out to see what had happened to me."

"Okay, how do you get from that kiss to dating?" Rosemary asked.

Rory shrugged. "I don't know. We left my grandparent's house together, the Bressers spitting fire and my grandparents beaming. You heard my mom's account of what happened after we left. Before last night I had been avoiding Logan."

"We know, he was unhappy about that," Steph told her. "You really shouldn't ignore him or fight with him and definitely don't break up with him. He's a pain in the ass to deal with when he's upset and he was definitely upset that you were ignoring him."

She blushed. "Sorry, I'll try not to let it happen again."

"Good. Now tell us what happened yesterday."

"I don't know what you want to hear girls, really. He came by to talk, we got some coffee and went to his room to get away from all the prying ears and eyes of this campus. We talked things over and it ended with us getting together officially and exclusively."

Both of the girls squealed and smiled. "How did he do it?"

"Do what?" Rory asked confused.

"Ask you to be his girlfriend!" Rosemary replied in a 'duh' kind of tone."

"Oh…um…"

"Come on, just tell us, we'll find out anyway, but it's easier if you tell us."

Rory wondered how they were going to find out if she didn't tell them; Logan didn't seem like the kind of guy to go into details like that, but she gave into them anyway. "We talked, honestly, that's what happened. We sat down and discussed what was going on like two mature adults. I told him how I wanted to feel, he told me how he wanted to feel."

"How you _wanted_ to feel?" Stephanie looked at her friend in confusion. "You are the strangest person I know Gilmore."

"Thanks." Rory grinned at her.

"But there's more, isn't there? There has to be more, so far you talked about what you both wanted. And by the way, what is it that you both wanted?" Rosemary asked wanting to get back on track.

"What we wanted is to be friends, **just friends**, platonic feelings and all that stuff."

"But?" Stephanie goaded.

"Nothing's ever that simple, is it? Especially not after the kisses we shared."

"Kisses? What? You never mentioned another kiss besides Friday, when did you kiss Logan besides Friday? You've been holding out on us!" Stephanie exclaimed.

"Sorry Steph." And Rory was, but it had been a little awkward for her the past two weeks. Rory knew that none of them had liked Julia to begin with but that didn't make it any less awkward for her to be the cause of the end of their friendship with the girl.

"So tell us about this other kiss!" Rosemary insisted, she was completely enthralled in the story and wanted to hear what happened, NOT the side comments between her friends.

"Sorry," Rory smiled at Rosemary, amused by how involved in the 'saga' of her and Logan the girl really was. "Anyway, when I was working those awful long hours at the paper last week, he made me leave and go to dinner with him on Thursday. When he dropped me back at my room Thursday night he kissed me. It was…amazing." She had a dreamy look in her eyes that made the other girls grin and sigh.

"I want something like that," Steph commented, sighing as well.

"I wouldn't mind that either," Rosemary agreed.

"So those were the only two kisses right? You're not holding anything else back?" Stephanie wanted to check before she insisted on Rory going back to last night.

"Yes Stephanie, those were the only two kisses…well before last night."

"I figured that much."

"Good to know." Rory was beginning to get slightly bothered by the pestering of her friends.

"So when we left off you and Logan had discussed what you _wanted_ to feel."

"Right. So we wanted to have only platonic feelings for the other, we wanted to be nothing more than friends, but things never happen the way you want them to."

"Isn't that the truth," Steph commented.

"Now that we knew what we wanted to feel, we got into what we really felt. And I'm not going into the details with you two, that's not necessary, but suffice to say that we both wanted a relationship and Logan was willing to give commitment a try, so here we are, officially a couple."

"Aw," the girls said at the same time.

Rory rolled her eyes at them; while it was a sweet story, it could have been sweeter. It wasn't storybook romance, but it was good nonetheless. "Are you happy now?"

"Yes, thank you! It would have saved you some time if you had just told us what was happening as it happened," Stephanie pointed out.

"I'll remember that for the future. Now is there anything that either of you would like to tell me about your love lives?" Rory asked, wanting to turn the conversation away from her and Logan. While she did love hearing her friends go on about her boyfriend and talking about their new relationship she was ready to stop the interrogation.

"No, nothing new," Steph said with a shake of her head.

Rory shook her head, having been witness to the dance that Steph and Colin continued each time they were together, getting upset when the other went out on a date with someone else. She had also noticed the crush Finn had on Rosemary but Rosemary wouldn't believe, not to mention the looks that Rosemary would send Finn when she knew he wasn't looking. She liked him but refused to admit it, and Rory couldn't blame her. One could never truly tell when Finn was serious while drunk, which meant one never knew if he was ever serious because he was always drunk. Rory, however, believed that Finn really did want Rosemary, but used his inebriated state to protect himself from the rejection he was so sure she would issue. When she would have started prying into their love lives as they had done to her, Rory was interrupted by the opening of the door.

"Reporter Girl, we're here! Let the fun begin!" Finn's voice was heard from the doorway.

"You don't have to yell Finny, we're sitting right here," Rory countered his entrance.

"Finny? That's an awful name love, please don't call me that again! And we? Who's we?"

"Did we suddenly become invisible Finn?" Steph asked from her seat next to Rory. "Or have you just had too much to drink so you can't see us?"

"Too much to drink? Love, I don't think that's possible!"

"Come on Finn, get inside," Colin's voice could be heard from behind his friend. He pushed Finn inside, allowing for both himself and Logan to enter the room, closing the door behind them.

"To what do we owe this honor?" Rory asked them. "And why didn't you knock?" Even though the boys had an open door policy, the girls liked everyone to announce their presence—it made talking about people in the privacy of their own room

"Knock? Since when does a boyfriend need to knock on his girlfriend's door?" Finn asked, a grin on his face.

Rory laughed and shook her head. "What can I say? Knocking before entering a room is one of the very few things my grandmother has taught me that stuck."

"The perfect little debutante huh?" Steph asked with a grin.

Rory turned and smiled at her. "Well, I wasn't the perfect one but at least I had no bruises and was completely sober!"

"Wait? You were a debutante?" Logan asked surprised as he took a seat next to her on the couch.

"I had a coming out party and everything; my grandmother couldn't have been happier."

"Really?" For some reason Logan was shocked by Rory's admission. While he knew she did a lot of things to please her grandmother he wouldn't have expected this from her. That would mean her father would have been present and from what he understood of Rory's relationship with the man it was highly unlikely.

"Why do you sound so surprised? Do you think I'm not good enough to be a young Deb?" Rory challenged.

Logan paled. "No, I wasn't saying that, I just wouldn't have expected from you. Lorelai isn't the biggest fan of society after all."

"I did it for my Grandma, and Mom was just as surprised I agreed as you are." Rory smiled at the memory that included both her father and Dean during one of the better moments. "It actually could have been a lot worse. But enough about my life in society, what brings you guys here?"

"Can't a guy just come and visit his girl?" Logan asked, offended that he needed a reason to drop by.

"Of course, what about the others?" She smiled at him and kissed his cheek.

Logan smiled at her answer. "They've been pestering me all day about it, I can't get rid of them."

"About what? Us?" Rory asked, slightly surprised.

"What else?" Logan said obviously agitated.

"Hey man, considering we have girls yelling at us because you're off the market I think we have a reason to ask for a few more details besides 'oh, right, Rory and I are dating now—exclusively," Colin defended both him and Finn.

"Wait, they're bothering you two about it?" Rory asked surprised that things had gotten that far in a mere 24 hours.

"Oh yeah kitten, I had to skip classes to avoid all the arguments."

"Do you ever go to class Finn?" Rory asked with a smile.

Finn looked offended for a minute before smiling. "You do have a point there."

She smiled. "So how about we get out of this stuff room, dinner maybe?"

"Are you ever not hungry?" Colin questioned with a smile.

"What exactly are you implying Mr. McCrea?" Rory glared at him before getting up and heading into her room. "I'll be ready in a minute." With a smile on her face she closed her bedroom door.

"Is she really upset with me?" Colin asked everyone once Rory had shut her door.

"Nah, she's just playing around. You know how Rory can be," Steph reassured him. "So where are we going to go?"

"Something tells me that Ace already has a place in mind," Logan spoke from his seat on the couch.

"Where?" Rosemary asked.

Logan shrugged. "She'll tell us when she gets back out here."

"Tell you what?" Rory asked coming out of her room with shoes and her hair now up.

"What place you've picked for dinner," Logan said simply.

Rory smiled at the fact that he knew she had already picked a place. "Oh, I figured we could go to Hector's. I haven't been there in a while and I could really go for Mexican food. Of course I can't tell Mom because she'll get really upset and probably drive down to eat with us."

"Oh, tell her!" Finn exclaimed, excited at the chance to see Lorelai.

"Finn! That's my mother you're speaking about!"

"You're very young, very attractive mother," Finn pointed out.

"Gross!" Rory locked the door behind everyone and led them towards Hector's.

"So Ace, how was your day?" Logan asked as he wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

"You mean since I saw you at the paper?" Rory teased him. Logan had tracked her down at the paper and managed to distract her the entire time they were there. If Doyle hadn't come in and forced Logan to leave before getting an assignment Rory was sure she would have gotten absolutely nothing accomplished.

"Yup. I want to hear all about that hour and a half," Logan teased her back.

Rory grinned. "I talked to my mom, told her about us, and then the girls stopped by and started pressing me for details."

"Really?" Logan raised an eyebrow at her. "So what did your mom think?"

"She's happy for us. As long as I'm happy she'll be happy, so don't mess this up!"

"Trust me Ace, I don't have that goal in mind at all."

"I believe you." She leaned over and kissed his cheek in a reassuring manner.

"Now what happened with Steph and Rosemary?"

"They're relentless you know. Wouldn't stop pestering me until I told them everything that had happened."

"Everything?"

Rory laughed. "Well no one is going to know _everything_, but they wanted details. I take it the guys did the same thing?"

"It's not every day that Logan Huntzberger settles down. I believe that they really wanted to know how it happened so they could stop themselves from the same fate."

"I don't know if they really feel that way," Rory started, glancing back at the others quickly.

"What makes you say that?"

"Oh come on Logan, you know how they are. It'll be a lot easier for everyone if they just admit how they feel to each other and get their act together."

"Sorry Ace, but I've known them for my entire life and it's not going to happen."

"Did you ever think that you'd settle down?" Rory countered.

"Well, no…"

"And did you ever think you'd be the _first_ to settle down?"

"Well no, I always thought it would be Colin."

"My point exactly."

"And what point is that Ace?" Logan asked, laughing when he saw her aggravated expression.

"Logan!" She screamed frustrated. "We're here!" She changed her tune completely when she saw the sign come into view. "Come on, I'm hungry!" Grabbing his hand Rory led Logan towards the restaurant to begin what was sure to be a very interesting meal with their friends.


	18. Behind Closed Doors

Chapter 18: Behind Closed Doors

**Chapter 18: Behind Closed Doors**

"Your friends are driving me crazy!"

"_My_ friends Ace? When did they become _my_ friends? I thought they were _our_ friends?" Logan smiled at her as she walked into his bedroom dropping her bag on the floor and her body onto his bed. He was sitting at his desk, actually trying to write a paper.

"Wait a minute, are you actually doing school work?" She knew that he did work, he was staying in school because of more than just his last name after all, but she'd never actually seen him do it before.

"Yes, I am actually doing school work. You had to know that I did actually complete assignments."

"I knew, I swear it, I just have never seen it before."

Logan smiled and shook his head as he turned back to his computer. "Besides _my _friends that is, who I guess were bothering you all day, how was your day?"

"Not too bad. Only had one class, spent some time at the paper and now I have a break before going to the Gazette."

"How are things there?" Logan asked, still unbelieving that his father could be so civil to her for so long; then again Logan didn't think Mitchum knew that he and Rory were dating because if his father knew Logan would have definitely heard from him by now. If for no other reason then insisting Logan bring her home for a family dinner.

"They're fine, still busy but in a good way," Rory insisted. She was waiting for Mitchum to mention her relationship with Logan but it never came up. Either Mitchum didn't know, which with Logan was extremely possible, or he felt no reason to bring it up.

"My father isn't working you too hard, driving you crazy?"

"It's nothing I can't handle, promise." She smiled at him before closing her eyes and leaning back against the pillows on his bed. "Do we have plans for tonight?" They had been spending almost every night with their friends making their time alone very rare. And while some may think that would only make their time together that much more precious, Rory found it annoying. She wanted to spend time with her boyfriend of only four day and to do it without their friends around. Their very nosy, albeit well-meaning, obnoxious friends that wouldn't give them any time alone.

"None that I know of, why?" He was concentrating on his paper and not really paying attention to her.

"Just checking. Let's do something."

"Sure Ace, whatever you want." His typing continued and Rory knew he wasn't really paying attention to her.

"So you'll hand over your black card so Steph, Rosemary and I can go shopping?" Rory asked, wondering how far gone he really was. She'd never truly seen him in work mode before, it was amusing.

"Sure Ace, whatever you say." Logan's fingers continued to type for another minute before the sound of the keys stopped completely. "Excuse me? What did you say?"

Rory couldn't hold back her laughter, it just bubbled out of her. "So you only pay attention to me when I threaten to spend your money?" She teased him.

"_No!_" Logan stressed with a strained smile. "I pay attention when you threaten to let Stephanie and Rosemary spend my money. Have you ever seen them shop Ace? It's dangerous for even the richest of men!"

Rory's laughter continued at Logan's defense. "Let's hope they marry rich."

"I'm sure they'll make manage that. So, what were you saying?"

"You mean about shopping?"

"No, there was something before that, I know there was." Logan sat back trying to remember what she had been talking about. "Though, if you do want to go shopping I have no problem relinquishing the card to you, and ONLY to you."

She looked at him with a straight face. "Logan, _no_, I don't want your black card. I was just teasing you."

"But you can use it you know. Eventually those girls are going to take you on a shopping spree and you should be able to out spend them!"

While Logan was being sweet Rory wasn't comfortable with her boyfriend of four days so easily giving her such easy access to his black card. While the sentiment was sweet it made her feel a little awkward, she wasn't with Logan for his money or his name, she actually liked him; Rory just hoped he knew that. "While that's really sweet, it's unnecessary."

Logan knew what her silence really meant and thought it was sweet. If there was one person he was not worried about befriending/dating him for his status in life it was Rory Gilmore. He'd never met a more down to earth, anti-society, high class woman in his life. Rory Gilmore was one of a kind and he was still shocked that she wanted him. She could have any guy she wanted yet she chose him, Logan was just waiting for the day she realized it and cut him loose. Pushing those thoughts away he smiled at her. "I know, that's why one of these days you're going to do it. Now, you were talking about going out tonight, no?"

Rory knew better then to argue with him, especially now; she'd save the argument for when the situation actually arose. "Yes, I was talking about tonight. I was thinking we hang out, no group this time?"

He couldn't help the smirk that crossed his mouth. "No group?"

"Dirty!" She knew what he was thinking.

"Hey, don't blame me, you're the one who started it."

"Logan!"

"Yes Ace?" He pushed himself up from the chair and started moving towards the bed.

She was watching his slow approach and getting slightly nervous. "What are you doing?" His only answer was a smirk. "Logan…" Rory was eyeing him cautiously, he looked like a lion ready to pounce…and she was his prey.

"Yes Ace?" He was still a few steps away from her but taking his time, enjoying watching her squirm in anticipation of his next move.

"What are you doing?"

"What does it look like I'm doing?" He reached the bed, sitting down next to her, their hips touching, a smile gracing his features as he looked into her dazzling blue eyes.

"I'm not too sure yet."

"And here I thought you were a smart girl." Logan shook his head in disappointment. Without warning he swooped down and kissed her. He started kissing her gently, lightly, deepening the kisses slowly, teasing her as he felt her arms wrap around his neck. His breaking point, however, was the soft moan that came from the back of her throat. Logan changed his position, leaning into her more, moving his body over hers, allowing the kiss to intensify even more, only to be interrupted by the slamming of the front door.

"Logan, mate! You here?" Finn's voice rang loud and clear through the dorm.

"Just be really quiet, maybe he'll go away," Logan muttered against Rory's mouth. He was resting almost all of his weight on top of her, her forehead resting on top of his shoulder, her arms still wrapped around his neck.

"Are we talking about the same Finn?" Rory mumbled back.

"Shh…" He leaned up slightly to kiss her softly, hoping Finn would be too inebriated to pick up on the soft sounds.

"Where is he?" Finn's voice could be heard again.

"Maybe he's already at the pub," Colin's voice answered.

"Let's go look!" Colin had successfully deterred Finn away from his search of the dorm and headed for the pub, his favorite place on campus.

"Bless Colin," Rory said on a sigh after the front door closed.

"He is smart," Logan agreed. "So where were we?"

"Leaving the room so we can avoid a group hang out?"

"Right…we should get on that." His words said one thing, but his mouth moved to her neck.

"We should…" Her eyes closed as his lips continued their magic on her neck.

**GGGGGG**

"Yo!"

"Yo?"

"For Shizzle."

"Who are you and what did you do with my mother?'

"What's up Homie?"

"Have you been watching MTV again?"

"It's the channel of my generation! I remember the premier. The Buggles! _Video Killed the Radio Star!_"

"So? That doesn't mean you should be watching it now; I hate to break it to you mom but MTV isn't necessarily the barometer of present day cool. And the remake by The Presidents of the United States of America was so much better. Definitely not so nasal."

"You're right there, but if MTV isn't the barometer of cool what is? Huh?"

"Um…"

"Exactly! You don't even know! Did I teach you nothing?"

Rory groaned. "Do you know how tiring talking to you can be sometimes?"

"Excuse me? Have you been hanging out with my mother again? What did I tell you about that Rory? Stay around her for too long and you start to get brainwashed."

"How'd you avoid it?'

"I got out of there before I was 18. Had I stayed until I was 18 I would have been a goner and you wouldn't have the cool mom that you're speaking to right now. I mean, imagine life without a mother who says things like for shizzle and homie, you'd be deprived and uncool!"

"How can I ever thank you for running away from Grandma and Grandpa?" Realizing that she wouldn't be getting off the phone any time soon Rory sat down on her bed, resting against her pillows. For the past two nights she and Logan had managed to spend time together without their friends; granted it took a little bit of maneuvering and out-thinking them—and of course going to places they would never think of looking for them, but it worked. It seemed that the only bad part about having loving and caring friends who were completely invested in your relationship from the beginning is that they were completely invested in your relationship from the beginning and don't know when to give up.

"I'm sure I can come up with a few things…" Lorelai began to trail off and Rory knew that if she didn't step in her mother would be impossible to stop without hanging up the phone. And if she hung up the phone it would be a never-ending guilt trip; something Rory neither had time nor energy to put up with. It was easier to deal with her mother's crazy mood in the moment by pacifying her rather then ignoring her.

"So Mom, how's Luke?" Rory knew the best thing to do was get her mother talking about something else, especially something she was interested in.

"Oh…um…"

"Mom?" She sat up, paying a bit more attention to what her mother was, or wasn't as the case may be, saying.

"Yeah?" Lorelai had gotten extremely quiet.

"What's going on? You're holding something back from me…did something happen between you and Luke?" Rory knew there was something going on and she wanted details.

"Well, kind of." Lorelai hadn't purposely hidden the information from her daughter, she just hadn't found the proper moment to tell her…but apparently the moment was here.

"Mom! Explain!" She wanted information now, not on Lorelai time.

"Okay, well it's like this…Luke and I aren't…well, we aren't…Luke and I…we're just Luke and Lorelai, but not really _and_ _and_, you know what I mean? There's the and because there are two of us but not like two of us as in together or a couple or anything, just and as in two people."

"Mom!" Rory tried to put an end to her mother's rambling. "I understand what you're saying! I do! I'm a journalist, remember? I understand words perfectly."

"According to those PSAT scores you're better with the math babe," Lorelai pointed out, the smile on her face felt through the phone lines.

"I thought we stopped talking about those scores the minute I got the _real_ SAT scores!" Rory complained, not wanting to remember the time when her math skills slightly surpassed her verbal.

"Sorry kid, I couldn't help myself, but yes, I know that you're the journalist, the pro with the words."

"Right, so I understand what you're saying about you and Luke being simply you and Luke and nothing more. When did this happen?"

"About two weeks ago," she answered hesitantly.

"Mom! Why didn't you say something? Are you okay? What happened?"

"Sorry kid, I just didn't know how to say it or what to say it or when to bring it up and then so much time had passed that…"

"So you didn't think you could or should tell me that you're no longer dating Luke?" Rory couldn't believe that her mother held this back from her.

"Yes, I'm telling you that I'm no longer dating Luke."

"Wow."

"Yeah."

"Wow."

"Rory? You okay?"

"Yeah. I'm just…wow." Rory took a breath. "Are _you_ okay?"

"Yeah…I am. It just…it wasn't working. He's better off just being Luke who makes the best coffee in the entire world rather then Luke my boyfriend who lives with me."

"I see. So…what now?"

"What do you mean?"

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah…I mean, it was for the best, and mutual."

"Really? Are you still going to Luke's every morning?"

"I am," Lorelai confirmed.

"And how is that? Awkward?"

"Awkward between me and Luke? No? Why would it be awkward?"

"Because you used to spend every night together and see each other…"

"Don't finish that sentence!" Lorelai interrupted her.

"I'm not going to, don't worry, the picture it created in my mind was awful." Rory grimaced. "How's the town taking it? What's Taylor been up to?"

"It hasn't been that bad actually. Taylor wanted to split the town up in sides, blue and pink ribbons and everything, but we've made it so easy for everyone to continue with their lives that nothing's going on. Except the sympathetic looks I get from Patty and Babette and Kirk and well…"

"Everyone?"

"Yeah, everyone. They mean well, I know that, but it's not as bad as they think it is."

"They'll get over it soon enough. Something will distract them, it doesn't take long in that town."

"True…"

"There's something else."

"What?" Lorelai tried to sound surprised.

"You're not telling me something, I know you aren't. You're hiding something, just tell me, it'll be easier for both of us if you just tell me."

"I don't know what you're talking about kid, I'm not hiding anything."

"Okay, so maybe you're not _hiding _it but you are holding something back. Tell me what else is going on. Is everything okay with Sookie and Jackson?"

"Of course."

"And Lane?"

"She's good too. Zach as well."

"Okay, then what else is going on? You can't hide anything from me, I'm your mini-me."

"Damn! I hate it when you're right!"

Rory laughed. "Yes! Come on, tell me what's happening!"

"Okay, promise you won't be mad?" Lorelai was a little nervous to tell Rory about this next part, she didn't know why, but she was.

"I promise Mom, just tell me!"

"Alright, so…I'm seeing your father."

"Really? When? How is he?"

Lorelai sighed, Rory really wasn't getting it and she didn't want to have to spell it out. "I just saw him last night."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"That's great!"

"You think so?"

"I do." Rory paused and let out a deep breath. "Wait a minute, when you say you're 'seeing' Dad, what exactly do you mean by that? How often are you seeing him? What are you doing when you see each other?"

"The same stuff we've always done."

"Is this why you and Luke broke up?" Rory knew the kind of things that could happen when her parents got together.

"Not directly but it did have something to do with it."

"You and Dad? Really?" Rory couldn't hide her surprised. As much as she always wanted her parents to get together she had given up hope of that happening a long time ago; her parents just couldn't get their acts together. She didn't blame them but she faced the facts.

"Yeah kid, me and your dad. It's been really good so far."

"How long?"

"Officially only like a week, but we've been talking longer than that."

"Really?"

"Yeah. It feels good kid, really, really good."

"Well then…good." She was at a loss for words, for the first time in a long time she was at a lost for words.

"How are things with you?"

"They're good too."

"Good. And Logan?"

"He's good too."

"Good."

"Yeah."

"So…"

"So when are you seeing Dad again?'

"Oh, um…I don't know."

"Oh, okay then."

"I should get going hun, I'm going to Sookie's for dinner."

"No fair!" Rory pouted. "Have a good time. Tell her and Jackson I say hi!"

"Will do, love you."

"Love you too mom."

Rory hung up the phone and relaxed against her pillows once again. Things had taken an interesting turn with her mom no longer dating Luke but 'seeing' her father. She didn't know how she felt about it, how she should feel about it. On one hand Luke had been like a father to her for her entire life and while she knew that wouldn't stop just because he and her mother weren't dating anymore, if her father started hanging around Star's Hollow again then it could make things very awkward. It was only natural that her parents would be the talk of the town again, Rory wouldn't be surprised if there was a secret town meeting to discuss how things in town would work now that Lorelai was daring Chris and 'shoving' it in Luke's face. Of course her mother would never be mean about it, but it would probably hurt Luke anyway.

"Hey Reporter Girl, what's up?"

"Oh no, not you too!" Rory moaned as the blonde came into her room.

"What?" Steph looked at her confused.

"It seems you, just like Logan, Colin and Finn have forgotten my name."

"Oh come on, it's a fitting name for you and we say it in the sweetest ways." Steph smiled at her. "So what are you up to? I haven't seen you in a few days. You and Logan have been MIA…what's going on there?" The girl winked at her and Rory closed her eyes.

"Nothing really, we just wanted to spend a little time together without all of you hanging around. There's nothing wrong with that, is there?"

"No need to get so defensive," Steph said immediately. "We just like spending time with you, but there's no reason you can't spend time just the two of you. That's kind of sweet."

"Thanks."

"Where is your other half?"

Rory thought it was a little strange for Steph to be referring to Logan as her other half, they'd only been dating for a week and friends for two months or so, hardly enough time to be thought of as halves and inseparable or anything. "Um…I think he mentioned the guys kidnapping him for a poker night or something." Rory shrugged; they had decided since the last two nights were spent together they could spare the other for one night. Besides, Rory had a lot of work to get accomplished and she knew she wouldn't get anywhere with Logan in the room.

"Right. So since he's having a guy's night what do you say to a ladies night? We'll call Rosemary go out for dinner and drinks? Maybe some dancing?"

"I don't know Steph…I have a lot of work to get done. It's one of the reasons Logan and I didn't make plans for tonight."

"Come on Rory, you can worry about whatever it is later, let's go have some fun!"

"I can have fun studying Steph."

"Don't be boring!" Rory glared at her. "That's a nice look—better hope your face doesn't freeze that way."

"Wow, are you channeling my grandmother or something?"

"That wasn't very nice!"

Rory shrugged. "Happens."

"So what do you say?"

"About what?" She really wasn't paying attention; Rory's thoughts were still focused on her parents 'dating'.

"Rory!" Stephanie moaned. "What do you think about a girls night?"

"I can't stay out late though…"

"Yes! I'll call Rosemary you get dressed!" Stephanie reached for her bag and pulled out her phone.

"Get dressed? What's wrong with what I have on?" Rory looked down at her jeans and t-shirt.

"It's not really dinner and dancing clothing, is it?" Stephanie asked, turning her attention away from Rory once Rosemary picked up on her end. "Rosemary? Hi, it's Steph…"


	19. Undeniable Requests

Chapter 19: Undeniable Requests

**Chapter 19: Undeniable Requests**

"Rory Gilmore," Rory answered the phone at her Gazette desk distractedly. She was concentrating on a paragraph that wouldn't read properly. She had been staring at the same sentence for ten minutes and was ready to call Logan for help. Yes, it was odd that she would call Logan instead of talking to someone at the paper, but after three weeks in her position she found that her boyfriend of two weeks was not only more willing to help her but had better suggestions and editing skills then some of her co-workers. Logan would never admit it but he was a Huntzberger through and through—journalism was in his blood.

"Hi Miss Gilmore, it's Katie Hudson, Mr. Huntzberger's secretary?"

Rory rolled her eyes. She'd been working here for three weeks, she'd had numerous discussions with Mitchum, she worked down the hall from him for god's sake, _and_ she'd actually met Katie Hudson on several occasions but the other woman refused to call her Rory or recognize that she (Rory) knew who Katie was without a last name and position explained during each phone call. "Yes Miss Hudson, what can I do for you?" Since Katie refused to call her Rory, Rory refused to call her Katie…and she knew how the other woman hated to be called Miss Hudson.

"Mr. Huntzberger would like to see you in his office…now."

Katie's voice was full of annoyance but Rory didn't care. Sometimes you just had to be a bitch. "Right. Thanks." Rory hung up the phone without saying anything else before saving her work and pushing back from her chair. She was a few steps away from Mitchum's office when she turned back around to her desk and clicked the print icon on her article. Maybe she couldn't come up with a better way to edit her article but Mitchum would help her, his help was just as good as Logan's after all; and this would save Logan the trouble of actually having to use his raw talent (Rory knew how much he hated doing that but did it just for her). She found herself, once again, in front of Mitchum's office and knocked on the slightly ajar door.

"Rory! Come in! You didn't need to knock." Mitchum's booming voice could be heard inside.

Rory pushed the door opened and looked at him with a small smile. "Sorry, door closed means you knock, Grandma's rules…mom's too actually, but I would never tell her that she remembered something her mother taught her—it would be the start of my demise; or the start of a very long guilt trip."

Mitchum smiled, used to Rory's rants by this time. The girl was the queen of word association. "I'm guessing she'd get to pick the take-out location and the movies for a few months?" He'd also begun to learn all the little things that Rory did with her mother. It was difficult to have a conversation with Rory about something other than work and not hear about her crazy lifestyle in Star's Hollow and the abnormal relationship she had with her mother. Mitchum had experienced their relationship first hand when he interviewed Lorelai for the article he wrote and part of him wished he had built some sort of relationship like that with either of his children. Of course it wouldn't be _that_ intense, no one could really be that close to their child, but he did wish they could be somewhat closer. Logan actually enjoying the family business and wanting to spend a little bit of time with him wouldn't be so awful. No matter how 'powerful' he was, Mitchum still wished his son actually liked him.

"Among other things, yes," Rory answered with a smile. Quickly she realized where she was and looked at him apologetically. "Sorry, I got carried away for a minute. What can I do for you?" At his gesture Rory took a seat across from him desk, her article on her lap, ankles crossed right over left.

"Oh, well, I just wanted to see how you were doing."

Rory looked at him closely, Mitchum never really checked in on people like this. Of course he would go around once a week to everyone's desk, see what their assignments were and how they were doing but something as personal as calling someone into his office that wasn't an editor, or in trouble, was unheard of. Sometimes Rory didn't mind the individual treatment he gave her, what aspiring overseas correspondent wouldn't want Mitchum Huntzberger to not only mentor him or her but actually trust his or her opinion? But Rory didn't like being singled out; she thought it was part of the reason she needed to call Logan for decent help rather than ask a co-worker for help. "I'm alright thanks. Yourself?" She knew he meant in terms of work but decided to avoid that for a moment.

Mitchum chuckled; he knew Rory understood the question but for some reason avoided the real answer. "Busy as usual; the news never sleeps you know."

"That's what I'm told," Rory answered with a smile.

"Is that your current article?" He asked when he noticed the paper sitting on her lap.

Rory blushed, a little nervous about asking for his help on such a trivial piece, well trivial in the grand scheme of the paper that is. "Yeah…I um…"

"Yes, what is it?" He cracked a small smile knowing what she wanted but was apparently extremely nervous in asking for.

She studied him for a moment, immediately noticing two things. One, he knew what she was going to ask him and found it amusing that she was nervous about asking it and two, he wanted to talk to her about something other than her article but was using their common grounds on the work-front to avoid the conversation he called her in there for. "You see there's something wrong with the last paragraph."

"Something wrong with it?" He raised his eyebrows at her.

"Yes; something is wrong with it. I don't know what but the words won't go down the way that they should. They're not listening to me, they have a mind of their own!" Rory exclaimed.

"Really? I was unaware that words actually could think for themselves, place themselves wherever they wanted and all. Silly me thought that words went wherever the person writing them put them."

"You've got a lot to learn Mr. Huntzberger, a lot to learn."

Mitchum chuckled outright, loving how she was unafraid to joke around with him. Rory Gilmore may be timid about asking him for help on article, which he found absurd, but she had no qualms whatsoever about joking with him. It was an oxymoron but the more he got to know her the more he realized she was full of oxymorons and they were what made her the unusual person she was, in a good way however. "I'll remember that." He nodded his head at her. "Now hand these uncooperative words over and I'll see if I can help you…I mean I'll see if I can knock some sense into them!"

Slowly she raised the papers from her lap and held them out to him—almost as if she was nervous about him reading her work and giving his opinion on it. He'd read her work before, her worry was unfounded, but it was still there. "You see, I was about to call Logan and ask him for his help, he always manages to make the words do what they are supposed to but then Katie called, and you know she really bugs me, but she called and issued your request so I came over here instead of calling him. I was just going to wait to call him until after I spoke with you, you see, but I got all the way to your office and realized that you could probably make some sense out of these words just as much as Logan could and it would be less work to just walk to my desk, print the article and bring it to you then going through the process of Logan's help."

Mitchum raised his head from the article he had been reading and looked at her strangely. "My son helps you with your articles?"

"Oh, no, not that much!" Rory rushed to reassure him, not wanting Mitchum to think that Logan was responsible for her writing. "Just, well, sometimes the words won't cooperate so I ask for his assistance. We always start by me reading it to him but then he needs to see it on paper so I email it to him. By the time he prints it, reads it over a few times, starts editing, all while I'm on the phone with him I might add, and then makes the changes not only on his hard copy but on the computer and THEN sends it back to me it's an entire process. I figure you've got to be as good at fixing misbehaving words as your son, right? Unless he picked that talent up off the streets cause I know he didn't learn it from Doyle!"

Once again Mitchum Huntzberger laughed at Rory's rant. Anyone who thought Mitchum didn't have a sense of humor only needed to see him in one conversation with Rory to see a different story. "How can Doyle be the editor of _The Yale Daily News_ if he can't rearrange some words?"

"I never said he couldn't, I just said that Logan didn't learn how to do it from him. Logan's much better at making sense of words, it's that damn natural talent of his mixed with excellent teaching that he'll never admit he actually paid attention too—and that's both lessons from his years in academia plus what you've taught him."

"Are you saying my son has not only paid attention to his professors but to _me_?" That shocked Mitchum more than anything. Logan and his friends had been so busy getting kicked out of boarding schools around the world that he didn't think they learned anything in classes except how to pick up girls and annoy professors—and how to sleep with their eyes open, or closed in many cases. As for Logan learning something from him, that never seemed like a possibility. Mitchum was under the impression that any time he spoke to his son the words went in one ear and out the other, at least after the first few minutes of the conversation. Logan usually gave him five to ten minutes to capture his attention, Mitchum just thought it never worked. And maybe, just maybe, those few summers Mitchum had forced him to shadow at a newspaper Logan had learned something. That last thought made him proud. Really proud.

"It's a possibility," Rory said with a shrug. She had watched the emotions that played across the older man's face, she could read him pretty well, emotions like that were extremely easy to read after all, and knew that she could never make Logan understand what his father felt at that moment. Even if she could find the words to express Mitchum's face at that moment, Rory knew Logan would never believe her. They didn't have that kind of relationship. Mitchum sent Logan away for too many years and had such an iron fist in dealing with his son, for Logan to believe that his father was that touched by the idea of him learning something from not only his teachers but his old man himself.

"Interesting." Mitchum immediately looked back at the article, realizing that Rory could read him better than he thought and wanted. She was a very interesting girl this Rory Gilmore. For someone who didn't grow up in society she certainly knew a lot about its inhabitants. After reading the paragraph a few times he understood which words Rory was complaining about and immediately set to work. After making a few marks with his red pen he looked back at Rory and handed her the paper. "What do you think?"

She took the papers back from him and read them over. "Better, much better," she said with a nod.

"You don't sound happy about it."

She shrugged. "You fixed it, I see where I can take it from there, thanks."

"You're not going to use my corrections?" Mitchum was surprised. Very few people asked for his help and then didn't use every word he added.

"I am, but I'm going to make them my own. It's what I do with Logan's words too," she insisted.

"Oh, I see." Rory could see that he was somewhat offended but decided not to say anything. "So Miss Gilmore…"

"Yes Mr. Huntzberger?" She was about to leave his office when he started speaking again.

"What were you saying about my secretary?" He raised a eyebrow at her and Rory couldn't help but smile.

"Oh, she doesn't like me much."

"Really?"

"Yup. She still calls me Miss Gilmore."

"Probably because she hears me call you that."

"You're just joking though, she's not."

"I see. I can say something…"

"No! Please don't. I appreciate the sentiment but you saying something will only make things worse."

"If you say so." Mitchum shook his head obviously not understanding her reasoning.

"Mitchum?" She questioned, waiting for him to look at her before continuing. "Why did you call me into your office?" She knew he didn't call her in here to ask about Katie or edit her article.

"Oh, right, yes, the reason I wanted to see you." She looked at him expectantly. "Yes, I wanted to ask you about my son."

"Logan? Why?" Rory had been wondering if Logan told her father about them dating and figured now she was going to find out.

"Well, according to his sister he started dating someone but he hasn't said anything to the rest of us. Of course I would never expect him to but still…"

It was true; Honor was the only one of the Huntzberger's that Rory knew knew about her and Logan dating. Honor and her boyfriend Josh had gone out with her and Logan over the weekend, dinner and a movie; low-key but very Rory and the others all loved the change from the society scene. "Yes?" She wasn't going to give anything away, Mitchum would have to ask her point blank.

"Well I know that you have become friends with Logan. If you're asking him to help with your articles and he actually is helping you then you have to be good friends with him and I was wondering if you could lend me a little insight into this part of his life. I'm sure you've met the girl. I was worried it was that awful Julia Bresser girl that's been hanging on him since high school and Shira 'absolutely adores' but it seems that they're no longer friends—Liz Bresser called Shira and told her that Logan and the others 'broke up' with her daughter and Shira ranted and raved about it for hours, she even called Logan and complained about it…"

"She called Logan?" Rory asked; Logan hadn't told her that.

"Yes, but Logan apparently hung up on her; Shira did not take that very well." Mitchum smiled at the memory, obviously thinking his son was correct in hanging up with his wife.

"I see."

"Yes, but back to my point. Logan's dating someone, it's not Julia Bresser and I was hoping you could help me out here."

"It's really not my place to say," Rory tried to get out of telling him that it was her dating his son. "Why don't you just ask him?"

"If I wait until I get a hold of Logan to have him tell me it'll be weeks from now. If he's gone out with Honor and Josh with this girl it's obviously more serious then the usual blonde that he escorts, but he won't say anything to the rest of us unless he has to. The only way Logan will tell me is if I show up at school and force him to, something I'd rather not do."

"So you'd rather get him upset by coercing one of his good friends into telling you?" Rory asked, surprised that Mitchum would take this route. Well not completely surprised after everything she'd heard about the man both in the professional sense he was a devious businessman at times and personally from Logan and the others.

"I don't think I'm coercing you, am I?" He shot her a smile.

"No, not exactly, but you know what I mean. Asking me in here and helping me with my article before asking about Logan's personal life. I don't think he'd take this information lightly."

"Then maybe you just shouldn't tell him," Mitchum suggested.

"Oh yes, I won't tell him, but then you'll know who he's dating and when you say something to him about her he'll wonder how you knew. Then he'll find out I told you and that'll go over well."

"I'll just tell him that Honor told me."

"He won't buy that, he and Honor have a special bond and you know that. That's why you didn't ask her."

"You're wrong there, did ask her…but she wouldn't tell me." Rory nodded in understanding. "But you do know her, don't you?"

"I do." Rory couldn't lie about that.

"And you won't tell me?"

"I'd rather not break his confidence. Thanks for understanding, I should go back to work now, I have homework to get done tonight too." Quickly Rory stood up from her seat and hurried back to her desk, she had no interest in getting further into this conversation with Mitchum. If he wanted to find out who Logan was dating he'd have to find out from Logan himself.

**GGGGG**

"Huntzberger! Phone!"

"Come on Robert, you couldn't find out who it was before throwing the phone at me?" Logan looked up from the television screen where he had just lost the video game to Colin.

"Good! My turn!" Finn grabbed the controller from Logan, he had been bugging him for it since he walked in the room.

"Hello?" Logan put the phone to his ear, annoyed that he unfairly lost to Colin and Finn was now playing in his place.

"Logan! Son! How are you?" Mitchum's voice came clearly over phone and Logan glared at Robert. There was no way he didn't recognize Mitchum's voice. Logan made a mental note to kill Robert as soon as he got off the phone.

"Dad," Logan's voice was strained, "how are you? This is a surprise."

"I'm sure it is. Now don't go killing Robert when you get off the phone. Talking to me isn't worth the premeditated murder charge, is it?"

"What can I do for you tonight father?" Usually if he just let his father talk Logan could get away with a shorter conversation.

Mitchum sighed, there was no way this conversation could go well. Even if Logan didn't put up a fight about telling him who the girlfriend was, he would argue about his second request—if they stayed on the phone long enough to hear the other request. "How's school?"

"Just fine. You know, classes, papers, tests, nothing new there." Logan was not interested in talking to his father, it was the same conversation each time they spoke.

"And how's the paper? Thinking about writing anything for it?"

He hated the condescending tone in his father's voice. No matter what they spoke about that tone was always present. One of the many reasons he avoided talking to the man at all costs. "The paper's fine. I may have something in the next issue."

"You may? It's a daily paper son, don't you know if you have something in tomorrow's paper?"

Logan sighed. "I handed something in and Doyle will place it when he wants to."

"I see." Mitchum knew that pushing this issue would not make getting the information he really wanted any easy.

"What do I owe this phone call to?" Somehow Logan knew his father had not called to berate him about his work on the paper, or lack thereof, even if that was the typical reason the older man called.

"I can't call to speak with my son?"

"You could, but you don't usually. You sound like you may actually care or something, what's going on Dad? What stupid society obligation event are you forcing me to attend?" Logan knew what his father was after even if the man wouldn't admit it.

"Why do you assume I'm going to tell you about an event?"

"Because you've already bugged me about the paper and you've now dropped that topic so you must not want to start a fight with me quite yet. Now tell me, are Colin and Finn being forced to come to this party as well?"

Mitchum sighed; his relationship with Logan would never be 'normal', there was just no trust between them. Logan would always be on the defensive when they spoke, it had been that way for years and unfortunately he didn't see it changing anytime soon. "Well I do have a question for you."

"A question? Not a demand?" This was a first.

Once again he sighed, Logan could be so frustrating sometimes. "Well there is an event for you to attend but it's nothing you don't know about."

"Oh, the family Thanksgiving gathering?"

"That would be the one. Your mother wanted to know if you're bringing someone?"

"Bringing someone?"

"Don't sound so surprised about it. She wanted to know if you were bringing a date, besides Colin and Finn that is. Who are coming regardless of your invitation, Stephanie too. And probably the others."

Logan nodded knowing that if his parents were throwing a party his friends would be forced to attend as well. At least it made things easier when they were ready to form a sub-party. "Fine dad, you reminded me about the party."

"And about a date? What should I tell your mother?"

"What are you getting at here?"

"I spoke with Honor the other day." Mitchum decided that beating around the bush wasn't going to work in this situation.

"Really? How is she?"

"She sounds good, very happy with Josh." He said the name with the least amount of disdain he could possibly muster up. They weren't a fan of Josh but he treated Honor right so at least he had that going for him.

"She is."

"Have you seen her recently?" He would do a little goading, that wasn't wrong, was it?

"We had dinner the other night."

"Really? Just the three of you?"

"Geez Dad, you sound like mom," Logan paused, "and that wasn't a compliment."

Mitchum sighed. "Why is talking to you so complicated Logan? It's like pulling teeth."

"It's lovely talking to you too dad. If you don't enjoy our conversations why do you keep calling?"

"Because you're my son Logan, whether or not you choose to admit it. Not to mention if I didn't call you then we wouldn't speak." And that was a fact.

"Right. When does mom need to know about the date?" Although he was sure if he asked Rory to join him she would Logan didn't want to RSVP for her without knowing for sure. He didn't know if she had previous plans the weekend before Thanksgiving and wouldn't want to obligate her to his parent's party without asking. He wasn't as obnoxious as his parents were.

"By tomorrow night."

"Fine, I'll call her tomorrow." He knew it was better to agree rather than argue. "Is that all?" The sooner he hung up the phone the sooner he could do something else. He heard his father about to answer when there was a knock on the door. "Hold on a minute please Dad?" He threw the please in there for good measure. "Come in!" He called out. The door opened a second later and the porcelain skin and blue eyes of his girlfriend came into view. She had an amused look on her face and he could only imagine what the guys had told him before she knocked on his door.

"Logan? Are you listening to me?"

"Sorry Dad, what were you saying?" He rolled his eyes at Rory, letting her know just how aggravated he was with the conversation.

"I was saying that Honor was telling us about dinner the other night."

"Really?" He officially knew where this conversation was going, he just wondered how badly he would have to yell at his sister for causing this conversation to begin with. Now he understood all the 'date' talk.

"Yes, really. She started telling me quite a story…before she stopped herself of course."

"Of course." At least his sister _tried_ to hide the information from his parents. "What was she saying? And when did you talk to her?"

"Some children actually call their parents to say hello you know."

"Right. People like Rory, not me and not Honor Dad. Come on, when did you talk to her?"

"Your mother had her and Josh over for dinner the other night. Shira said you were invited but of course turned down the invitation. You won't come to this house unless we force you to, will you?"

"Get to the point Dad." Especially with Rory in the room, sitting at his desk chair watching him, he had no patience for the conversation.

"The _point_ son, is that Honor and Josh said you were dating someone and that the four of you went to dinner this weekend. But they wouldn't tell us who the lucky girl is, your mother thinks that it's Julia Bresser. Of course I tried to remind your mother that you are no longer speaking with Julia, a decision I approve of by the way, although your mother is crushed and still not over all the yelling Liz Bresser did on the phone. Not that your mother appreciated getting yelled at, mind you, but she and Liz did have wedding plans for you and Julia."

"Mother and Liz are insane."

"In this case, yes, they were a little bit a head of themselves, but since you're obviously not dating Julia would you care to tell me who you're dating?"

"Why the sudden interest in my love life?" Logan asked, looking at Rory as if asking her to let him know if it was okay for him to tell his family that they were dating.

"It's not sudden Logan, it's just that you actually have it narrowed down to one girl instead of one girl each night. If you've made that kind of commitment you obviously like the girl and we'd like to meet her. We are your parents after all."

"Yes, I know that." _You never let me forget it after all_, Logan thought, seeing Rory smile as if she could read his thoughts.

"Are you going to tell me? The faster you tell me the faster you can get off the phone with me and see her. I bet she's the one who just came into the room, isn't she?"

"What?"

"That's who you let in. If it had been Colin or Finn they would have said something to you, it had to be her. She doesn't know you're talking to me, though I'm sure the guys told her, well warned her, didn't they?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't pull that shit with me. Just tell me who it is Logan and I'll lay off of you. I tried to get Rory to tell me this afternoon at work, but she wouldn't betray your confidence. She's a good friend Miss Gilmore, apparently you help her out with her articles every now and then. I wonder what gets you to help her instead of you writing yourself, I'll have to think about that one. Maybe she needs to lean on you instead of me."

"See Dad, that's the nice things about friends, they don't 'lean' on you; they just let you be you. The less pressure that's on the more I actually like writing, make sense?"

"Whatever you say son."

"Of course it doesn't make sense," Logan said with a sigh. His reasoning never made sense to his father.

"So who's the lucky girl?"

With a final, apologetic look in Rory's direction Logan let out a heavy sigh. "It's Rory."

"Excuse me?" Mitchum couldn't have heard him correctly. "It sounded like you said that you're dating Rory."

"I did."

"As in Rory Gilmore?"

"Yes."

"Lorelai Leigh Gilmore? Who writes for the YDN and the Gazette?"

"And granddaughter to Emily and Richard Gilmore, Lorelai Victoria Gilmore's daughter," Logan affirmed.

"Interesting. I didn't know you two were that close."

"Apparently. So now that I've answered the question can we end this conversation so I can spend some time with my girlfriend?" Logan asked impatiently.

"You're really dating Miss Gilmore?"

"What's with the Miss Gilmore stuff? You usually call her Rory."

"Well this is a different situation now isn't it?"

"I guess…" Logan didn't think it was, his father and Rory had a strangely calm relationship but the Miss Gilmore thing was throwing him through a loop. "Look dad if there's nothing else, I'll call mom about Thanksgiving tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay, sure, but you better call her. You know how she is about knowing how many people to expect and not finding things out last minute. And if she doesn't hear from you she'll call you, no matter what time, so pick a time that works for you, understood?"

"Yes father. Anything else?" Logan really just wanted to hang up the phone.

"No son, that's all. I'll speak with you later."

"Can't wait," Logan said dryly before hanging up the phone and looking at his girlfriend. "I'm sorry, I couldn't get out of telling them. It shouldn't be so bad though." Rory only smiled at him before moving towards the bed, stopping when she was standing in between his legs. She leaned down, her smile growing, kissing him lightly at first, then deepening it before pulling back. "Come on, I'm hungry! Everyone's waiting for us." With a groan of disappointment Logan followed her out of his room into the common room where indeed all of their friends were waiting to get dinner.


	20. Rules of Engagement

Chapter 20: Rules Of Engagement

**Chapter 20: Rules Of Engagement**

"So Ace, I have a question for you." Logan approached Rory the next day as she was waiting on line for her coffee.

"Shoot Huntzberger." She looked over at him with a smile, happy when he put an arm around her waist.

"Remember the conversation I had with my father last night?"

"Vividly. You told him we were dating, he had a strange reaction."

"How did you know that?" He hadn't told her the details of the conversation with his dad and liked that she didn't ask. Rory knew that he'd talk about it when he was ready.

"I was there for that part of the conversation, remember? Your father was obviously shocked when you told him that I was your girlfriend."

"Right. Why didn't you tell him when he asked?"

Rory shrugged. "I had a feeling he would react that way and honestly didn't want to see it in person. I can read him pretty well, which is really scary may I add, and I just didn't want to see whatever it was that crossed his face besides shock." She had a quick flashback to the first time she had met the Haydens and felt the need to shower. Luckily for both of them it was Rory's turn in line and she quickly ordered them both coffees, paying and waiting for them before continuing with the conversation. "Besides, I didn't know if you wanted your parents to know just yet."

"I guess there's no hiding anything from my parents. Honor said something to them about the double date this weekend, but wouldn't say who the girl was."

"That's what your father told me yesterday," Rory said with a nod.

"Speaking of yesterday, what was the comment he made about me helping you but not writing myself all about?" Logan had been wondering about that particular dig since the minute his father said it but felt no real need to talk to the man more than necessary when he was pretty sure Rory knew the answer.

"Oh, well, he asked me to come into his office just when I was having a problem editing something. I was going to call you for your help but I figured since I was going to talk to your father I'd bring the problematic words with me and ask for his opinion. When I explained to him what was going on I let it slip that you usually help me with this stuff and I had planned to call you but his request to see me got in the way. He was shocked that you helped me like that, though he wasn't surprised at the praise I gave your talent. He believes in you, you know." Rory knew that no matter how many times she told him that in however many ways that Logan wouldn't really believe it. Mitchum Huntzberger never told his children how talented they were, especially Logan who actually needed to hear it since he was being 'forced' to take over the family business and all.

"Oh. Okay." Logan was only slightly bothered that Rory mentioned something to his father about his assistance on her articles. "But he asked you about my girlfriend?" This was a much more interesting topic.

"Yes, he did. I side-stepped that conversation completely and said I wouldn't betray your confidence; if he wanted to know about your personal life like that he was going to have to ask him yourself. I'll keep telling him that even now that he knows we're dating. Don't think just because I'm interning there I'm going to start telling your father all your secrets." Rory was slightly worried that Logan might think she'd start feeding both of them information about the other. "And the same goes to you about your father. Not that you want information on his personal life, but if you want to ask him something or get out of something you go through him, not me, okay?"

"Of course Ace. I wouldn't do that to you. Thanks for not letting him find out about my life through you, that's not his place. He should talk to me if he wants to know something about my life." Logan thought about it for a minute and took a breath before continuing. "Right, so my father's premise for wanting to find out my girlfriend's identity was for a head-count for a party my mother is having."

"Really?" Rory hadn't heard anything about a party Shira Huntzberger was holding but that wasn't anything new—she wasn't a society girl, she didn't know these things—she just thought one of the numerous society kids that she spent time with recently would have mentioned something. "When is this?"

"Two weeks from Saturday." Logan watched her face for any indication of how she felt about this event being sprung on her.

"Oh, okay." Rory was giving nothing away, she wanted all the information before she said anything. Committing to a society party was big, almost qualifying as a talk to your mother before you answer big, except that it wasn't an invitation from her grandparents, it was an invitation from her boyfriend so of course she was going, she'd just have to discuss it with Lorelai later on.

He had no idea what she was thinking and it freaked him out a little bit. Rory could very well turn him down and while he could understand, especially if she had plans because he was mentioning this very last minute, it didn't mean he wouldn't be disappointed that she couldn't be there. "So my dad weaseled the information out of me so he could find out who may be attending the party with me."

"Don't apologize Logan, it's not like we could hide the information from your family forever. Now I just need to call my grandparents. Shit! I should have called them last night, my grandmother's going to be furious if your mother called her first. But I guess if your mom had called she would have called me to complain about not knowing and being taken off guard by Shira Huntzberger, right?"

"Take a breath Ace, I'm sure if my mother had spoken to your grandmother then you would have heard from your grandmother. Besides, it's not like your grandmother doesn't know we're 'seeing each other' on some level, I did pick you up from dinner Friday night, remember?"

Rory thought about what he was saying for a moment. "True."

"And my mother is probably in shock anyway. She never would have thought I'd find someone not only acceptable in society, but a part of society and has a brain. She keeps trying to set me up with all these brainless blondes."

"Right. Well…hopefully she won't hold that against me."

"Why would she hold that against you?"

"I'm not a society trophy wife Logan, I never will be and I don't want to be. Besides, I'm not really a true part of Hartford society, I grew up in Star's Hollow, remember?"

"Of course I remember Ace, but you went to Chilton, you go to Yale. Your grandparents are Emily and Richard Gilmore. That all makes you society whether you want to be or no."

"I understand that but I don't know if your family will see it that way."

"So now you know the crazy inter-workings of my family? That's impressive, 19 years later and even _I_ don't understand the twisted ways of my family."

"Logan!" Rory playfully slapped his arm. "You know what I'm saying!"

He smiled at her. "I understand Ace, but I don't think this will be quiet the crisis situation you think it will be. You're a respectable young woman who's beautiful _and_ intelligent, they'll love you. Not to mention you fit in with the family business and my father already loves you."

"I guess so."

"Trust me, having one of the three elder Huntzberger's on your side is a big deal."

"Three?"

"There's my grandfather too. If you've never met a grumpy old rich man before be prepared. He's very old-fashioned and very stubborn."

"I see."

"So have I scared you off?"

Rory laughed. "Logan, if I can survive three and a half years worth of Friday night dinners with Adolph and Ava, I'm sure I can survive your family."

"Adolph and Ava?"

"My grandparents," Rory answered as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

This time it was Logan who laughed. "You truly are one in a million Ace."

"Thanks." She smiled up at him.

"So about this Thanksgiving dinner…"

"Yes?" She batted her eyelashes at him and Logan groaned.

"You really know how to torture a guy, don't you Ace?"

"Whatever are you talking about?"

"You need to spend less time with your mother!"

"Blasphemy!"

"And less time with Finn!" Logan declared after she finished her sentence with a grin.

"Speaking of your exotic friend, where is he? And the others for that matter? It's the middle of the day and we've been left alone for too long."

Logan laughed but what she said had a hint of the truth to it. While they're friends were amazing, it was rare for the couple to find time together, just the two of them. Usually one or more of their friends spotted them at some point during the day and ruined the quality time aspect of the relationship. "Well the sun is out so Finn is probably asleep and I guess everyone else not only has class but is attending it. Maybe there's a big test or something today."

"Interesting. I didn't know anyone ever actually went to class." Usually they were too hung over or excited or tired or busy to actually be bothered going to class—no matter what time of day the class actually was.

"What do you think about Thanksgiving? It won't be just my parents and their friends. The others will be there and we'll form a sub-party as soon as possible. And I'm sure your grandparents will be there too." As soon as the words left his mouth Logan wasn't sure if that was a point in his favor or not.

"Shit! My grandmother!" Searching frantically through her purse Rory located her phone and quickly pulled it out of her bag, scrolling for the right number.

"Good afternoon, Gilmore residence."

"Hi, this is Rory Gilmore, is my grandmother there please?" Rory said sweetly into the phone.

"Hold on please." The maid placed the phone on the table and headed off to search for the woman of the house. A few minutes later Rory heard her grandmother scolding the maid about something before picking up the extension.

"Rory! How lovely to hear from you! How are you?" Emily smiled widely, always enjoying hearing from her granddaughter.

"Just fine Grandma, thank you. How are you?"

"Just fine dear. You're sure everything's okay? We're seeing you tomorrow night aren't we?" Usually they didn't speak during the week unless necessary, otherwise there wouldn't be a lot to speak about during dinner. That was the problem with weekly dinners, sometimes the week in between would be boring and conversation would be difficult to achieve, especially with the antics of Rory and Lorelai.

"Everything's fine Grandma, and yes I'll still be at dinner tomorrow night, so will mom," Rory reassured her grandmother. "I actually called to tell you something."

"Really? Good news?"

"I think so," Rory said with a smile, a smile that she directed towards Logan. A smile that he returned.

"Well don't make me wait any longer! Tell me what's going on!" Emily sat down on the couch and waited for her granddaughter's news.

"You remember Logan, right?" Rory knew it was a stupid question but she felt weird just spitting it out.

"Yes, I do." Emily smiled. "He picked you up from dinner the other week, you two make a lovely couple."

"I'm glad you think so Grandma because we're dating."

"Oh Rory that's wonderful!" Emily couldn't be happier that Rory had found such a suitable young man. "He'll have to come to dinner now, you both realize that?" Emily had invited him for the week after he picked Rory up but previous plans had kept him from attending that evening. He promised Emily a rain check and now that he and Rory were dating she needed to make sure it would happen.

"We realize that Grandma, I just wanted to let you know before someone else told you."

"Well I appreciate you thinking of that, it would have been a pity to be in the dark about such wonderful news."

"I'm glad you're happy about this."

"How's your mother taking it?" Emily knew that Lorelai couldn't be too happy that Rory not only found a good boy from a proper family but he was one of the richest boys Rory could pick at Yale. Lorelai was bound to be upset by it.

"She's okay with it; she likes Logan."

"Well that's good." A part of Emily died when she heard that Lorelai actually liked the boy; she thought for once there would be something she could accept that Lorelai couldn't, but at least she could understand the different obligations that came with Rory dating Logan then Lorelai could—this was something that could bring her and her granddaughter closer. Maybe they could build something closer to what Lorelai and Rory had—it'd be a long shot and a difficult task, but it wasn't out of reach.

"I think so. Anyway, I have to go, Logan and I are going to dinner, but I wanted to let you know."

"Well thank you for telling me. I look forward to seeing you tomorrow night."

"Me too Grandma. Goodbye." Rory hung up the phone and looked at Logan. "That was the strangest conversation."

"What happened?"

"My grandmother actually said she looked forward to seeing me tomorrow night."

"So? What's odd about that Ace? Your grandmother loves your Friday night dinners, you know that."

"I do," Rory said with a nod, "but she just sounded…I don't know…weird. Hold on a minute?" She looked for his affirmation before picking another number from his phone.

"Lorelai's House of Horrors, Lorelai speaking."

"Yes, I'd like to order one headless horseman and a slimy goblin."

"That's all? That's pretty tame, I've had better orders."

"I'm sorry, I've been shanghaied, I can't order correctly."

"Uh-oh," Lorelai's voice became worried, "why did you talk to your grandmother and what did she say?"

"How did you know?" Rory knew that her mother had great powers when it came to Emily Gilmore but sometimes it was really freaky.

"You said shanghaied, that's a word that is only used when speaking about Emily Gilmore."

"Oh."

"Yes. So my darling daughter tell me what my mother has done this time."

"Okay, so I called her."

"Okay, so there's your first mistake, off the bat. Never, NEVER, call Emily first. Have you learned nothing from me?" Logan could hear Lorelai through the phone and couldn't help laughing. "Is that Blondie?"

"He has a name mom," Rory said slightly annoyed.

"I know that hun, but Blondie is such a better description."

"Whatever."

"So why did you call her?" Lorelai needed all the information to better help Rory.

"I needed to tell her about me and Logan."

"Why did you need to tell her? We're seeing them tomorrow, remember those retched Friday night dinners we're _still _going to?"

"Yes mom, I remember those dinners, by the way, don't forget tomorrow is Friday, but I needed to tell her before tomorrow night. You see, Logan invited me to a party his parents are having for Thanksgiving, which means his parents now know that we're dating…"

"So if his mother told Grandma before you it would be bad."

"Exactly!" Rory was happy that her mother at least understood that part.

"Okay, so you called Grandma as a preemptive strike to Logan's mother calling her and telling her about the two of you dating. What happened during this phone call?"

"Grandma ended it by saying she was 'looking forward to seeing me tomorrow night'!"

"Oh no, that's not good."

"Ha!" Rory looked at Logan, happy that her mother understood why she was so freaked out about her grandmother's words.

"What?"

"Nothing, Logan just didn't understand why Grandma's words freaked me out."

"He has much to learn young grasshopper."

"I know, but it's only been a few weeks and he only knows proper society Emily."

"How right you are. Okay, hit me with the rest of the conversation." Lorelai was prepared to help decipher Emily's words.

"There isn't really that much to tell. I called, I told her, she was happy, asked if I had told you and what your reaction had been and then told me she was looking forward to seeing me tomorrow."

"Hold on, she asked about what I thought?"

"Yeah, what's wrong with that?" Rory knew that her mother had found the freaky point in Emily's conversation.

"Well nothing really except for the fact that she wanted to know how I was reacting to you dating someone who's not part of our 'regular' world. She's probably giddy over the fact that the two of you will have something in common with society life now upon you, and that you'll be turning to her for advice on how to handle society situations that I obviously know nothing about. Now the two of you will have something to talk about that I know nothing about nor approve of. She's hoping for some kind of rift between you and me over this, then she can come in and be the all-understanding grandmother."

"Oh. Wow. I didn't even think about that. Hey mom?" Rory's thoughts were moving away from her grandmother and onto her mother.

"Yeah kid?" Lorelai knew Rory so well she knew what the next question was but let her daughter ask it herself.

"Please tell me that you're okay with me dating Logan and that you're not going freak out because he's society, really big society and think that now that I'm dating him I'm going to be a trophy wife and forget everything you've ever told me."

"Oh hun, I don't think that. I'm not too sure about his motives, he's from a different world then we're from kid, but he hasn't lost any points just yet. He seems like a good kid, he's done nothing to hate me thus far."

"Well that's good." Rory smiled at Logan knowing he could hear her mother through the phone, Lorelai's voice tended to carry—it didn't matter how close she and Logan were sitting.

"You're from different places though, you realize that, right? And he respects that?"

"Mom, we're not getting married or anything. We're dating and we've only been dating for a couple of weeks."

"Right. Okay, so thanks for letting me know what Grandma was talking about. I'm freaked out still, but not _as_ freaked out as I was. Thanks for that."

"Anytime kid. How are things other than Grandma being...well…Grandma."

"Things are good."

"How's the paper?"

"It's good; both papers."

"Good. What did his parents think about you being his girlfriend?"

"I don't know. They haven't really said anything yet. How are things at home? How's Dad?"

"Things are good, the inn is good, Sookie and Jackson are good, Michele is well…Michele." Rory laughed. "Your father's good too. We're going out this weekend."

"Really?" Rory was very interested in that.

"Yeah. I'm actually going to Boston."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I'm thinking about going after dinner on Friday."

"Really?" Rory sat up, extremely interested in what her mother was saying.

"Yale really hasn't taught you any other words besides really? What are my parents paying for?"

Rory laughed. "Sorry mom, I'm just…shocked."

"In a good way, right?"

"Right. I'm happy for you…and for dad. It's just strange."

"Why?"

"Oh well, it's weird to think that 19 years later my parents are dating…seriously dating. You are seriously dating, aren't you?" Rory asked suddenly unsure of what was going on between her parents.

"Yes kid, we're seriously dating. You're still okay with it, right?"

"Mom, what kid wouldn't be okay with their parents dating?" The minute she asked the question she regretted it, her mother could come up with all kinds of stories. "Sorry, I take that back, it was rhetorical. I really am happy for you and Dad and I really hope that you guys can work things out this time."

"Me too kid, me too."

"Ace, we should go if we're going to meet everyone on time."

"Right." Rory smiled at him and turned her attention back to her mother for a moment. "Mom, I need to get going, we're meeting the others for dinner. I'll talk to you later though?"

"Of course kid, have a good time. I'll see you tomorrow night, but I'll talk to you before then."

"Definitely. Later mom, love you."

"Love you too Rory."

Rory hung up the phone and turned to Logan. "Ready for another crazy night with our friends?"

"So now they're our friends again?" Logan teased her. She shook her and head smiled. "What was that about your parents?"

"Oh, apparently they've started dating again, I've told you that, haven't I?"

"No, I don't believe you have."

"Oh, well they've dated occasionally through the years but it's never worked out, now it seems it is."

"You seem skeptical."

"Somehow they always manage to mess things up," she told him with a shrug, "I'd really like it to work out."

"I'm sure it will Ace." He squeezed the hand that he was holding.

Rory smiled at him, appreciating the sweet gesture. "This time I think it might, there really isn't anything in their way…for once." Briefly thoughts of Sherry crossed Rory's mind but she pushed them away, it was going to work out for her parents this time, she just knew that it would.

"You okay Ace?" Logan was a bit worried when she went silent.

"Everything is just right, thanks." Once again Rory looked up at him with a smile. "Ready to go in?" They were standing outside of the pub, hanging back for a minute before going in.

"I'm ready for anything Ace, you should know that by now." He returned her smile with a smirk and held the door open for her, following her inside and to the table their friends were already situated at.


	21. Part Of Your World

Chapter 21: Part Of Your World

**Chapter 21: Part Of Your World**

"Steph, I need your help." Rory was walking out of the Gazette the Wednesday before the Huntzberger's Thanksgiving party, phone attached to her ear, searching her purse for her keys.

"Everything okay Ror?" It wasn't typical of Stephanie to call Rory a version of her real name, but every now and then it happened. At the sound of her name and the slightly worried tone of her voice, the others Logan, Colin, Rosemary, Finn, Robert and Seth stopped their conversation and looked at her curiously. One would have thought that if Rory had a problem her first phone call would have been logged to Logan but apparently that wasn't the case.

"Found them!" With a happy squeal Rory unlocked her car and got inside, eager to turn the car on and get the heat started.

"Rory?" Steph was being ignored and wondered why her friend had called in the first place.

"Huh?" In her rush to find her keys and start the car Rory had forgotten she'd called Steph.

"You called, told me you needed help and ignored me; if you don't fill in the blanks your boyfriend is going to steal the phone out of my hands and find you himself."

Rory laughed. "Tell Logan to relax; it's a girl thing, he can't help."

"Oooh, Rose and I can though!"

"Exactly why I'm calling."

"Spill." She was even more interested in what was going on now.

"You two need to meet me at the mall in a half hour, got it? Don't tell the boys where you're going. If they're insistent we're getting pedicures cause I've had a long day and want one. Not entirely a lie but it'll get them off our backs."

"Got it. Everything's okay then? Just in need of a foot massage?" Rory laughed knowing that Steph's comment came mostly from assuring the guys that she was okay. "Yeah, I do know where the place is, don't worry, I won't get lost." Steph laughed slightly, she was notorious for having no sense of direction. "Fine Ror, I'll let Rosemary drive, I promise! So we'll see you in about a half hour? Drive safely." Stephanie hung up the phone and looked at five expectant faces, smiling when she saw Rosemary putting on her shoes and looking for her purse. "It's on my bed," Steph told her, "grab mine too please?" Rosemary went into Steph's room and Steph looked at the boys. "Don't look so worried, she had a long day, wants to meet up with us for pedicures, which means that we're all leaving my room. I'm not letting you guys hang out here alone, the last time that happened my roommate almost killed me!"

With a bit of reluctance, and slight annoyance that Steph wouldn't say anything about what Rory wanted, the boys went one way and she and Rosemary went the other. "Okay, so what's going on?" Rosemary unlocked her car doors and the two of them got in.

"We're going to meet Rory at the mall. She wouldn't tell me why but something tells me it's about this weekend. She's been too busy to really think about it but I bet it clicked that it's Saturday night and she has no idea what to wear."

Rosemary laughed. "That does sound like Rory. Logan looked pissed though."

"Yeah, the guy just doesn't like to be left out of the loop where she's concerned." It took them no time to get to the mall, logging in a phone call to Rory to find out where they were all meeting. As Steph had predicted they were meeting in the evening wear section of the department store, Rory muttering to herself and grabbing every other dress off the rack.

"Rory?" Rosemary approached her slowly.

"Hey, thanks for coming."

"What's wrong?"

"I don't have a dress."

"What do you mean you don't have a dress?"

"I had a dress and brought it to the dry cleaner's and they ruined it. It's unfixable. They gave me the money for it but that means I have to get a new one! At least mom can do the alterations for me. Wait!" She shoved the dresses into Steph's hands and started yet another hunt for her cell phone.

"Speak," Lorelai answered the phone.

"You're lucky it wasn't Grandma," Rory said in lieu of a greeting.

"Why would my mother be calling me?" Lorelai asked.

"Can you explain anything that Grandma does?"

"Good point. What's up kid? How are you?" It had been a whole eight hours since they last spoke but in the lives of Gilmore girls a lot could happen in eight hours.

"Okay, so I went to pick up my dress—"

"For this party on Saturday night that mommy isn't invited to?"

"Like you really want an invitation mom, come on, be real. You're just upset it doesn't get us out of dinner Friday night."

"Well that's true."

"So I went to pick up my dress and the dry cleaner ruined it!"

"What?"

"I know! So now I have no dress; I have money for the dress and I'm in the dress department searching but no dress."

"Do you need my help? We can play hooky tomorrow and go shopping?"

"Well…"

"What are you thinking?"

"You know that dress you made for my first Chilton dance?"

"You want to wear that? I don't think that's appropriate hun, and I don't know where it is. I mean obviously it's with the Dean box so I do where it is but I don't think it'll still look right. It's been a while."

"I know, I wasn't planning on wearing it. Hey! Are you insinuating that I've gained weight so it won't fit?" Rory asked, getting the attention of her friends.

"Not at all babe, not at all."

Rory didn't believe her mother but she let it slide. "I was hoping we could play hooky and you could make me a dress for Saturday night."

"Excuse me?"

"Come on mommy, please?"

"Rory, the party is Saturday night, that's not a lot of time for an entire dress!"

"You can do it though. There's nothing big going on at the inn; nothing that Sookie or Michel can't handle OR you can't handle over the phone right? You wouldn't deny me an original Lorelai Gilmore for a night like this one will be, would you?"

Lorelai sighed. "I'm just glad I can't see the eyes."

"I wish you could, no one can resist them."

"Why can't your boyfriend get you a designer original?" Lorelai asked.

"Because I'm not with him for the money," Rory reminded her mother.

"I never said you were."

"So you'll do it?" Rory asked excitedly.

"Come by tomorrow morning, first thing, and when I say first thing, I mean it!"

"So breakfast at Luke's at nine?" Rory asked.

"Perfect."

"Thanks mom, I love you."

"Love you too kid."

Rory hung up the phone and smiled at her friends. "Crisis averted, how about we go get those pedicures?" The girls looked at each other and then at Rory, put the dresses on the closest rack and headed for their cars.

**GGGGGG**

Logan stood on the porch of the crap shack and waited for someone to answer the door. Rory had gone home with her mother after Friday night dinner and told him to pick her up here, so here he was, slightly out of place in Stars Hollow, wearing his tuxedo and waiting. Knocking a bit louder he had to suppress his laughter when he heard Lorelai and Rory argue about who was going to get the door. Finally, though, it opened to find Logan face to face with Lorelai. "So it looks like you lost, huh?"

Lorelai laughed at Logan's greeting. "Apparently since I was 'closest' I had to get the door. I don't know why she thinks me sitting on the sofa is closer then her bedroom." Lorelai shook her head. "Sometimes I wonder how she got into Yale." Logan laughed. "Come on in, she's going to be a few more minutes."

"Thanks." Logan came into the house, standing in the foyer feeling a little out of place.

"I'm going to check on her again, make yourself at home." Lorelai wandered down the hall to what Logan assumed was Rory's room and he made his way into the living room. He was inspecting the mantle full of pictures when he realized that this is what his life had been missing. Nowhere in his parent's house did it look like a home. Sure there were the obligatory family photos but it didn't look like a home, it didn't look like Lorelai and Rory's house. He found himself making a promise to himself that his house would never look or feel like his parent's did but instead feel like this. He wanted all kinds of pictures of his family and friends around, he wanted cozy looking and comfortable to sit on furniture around the room, he wanted the warmth of the house to scream out to people when they came inside.

"Mr. Huntzberger, may I present Miss Lorelai Leigh Gilmore." Lorelai's voice brought Logan out of his fog as he turned towards the other end of the living room. Rory appeared a moment later and the breath was knocked out of him; she looked amazing. Her dress was floor length and beautiful bronze color.

"You look beautiful Ace." Logan sent her a real smile, wanting her to accept his compliment.

"Thank you. You look quite dazzling yourself."

"Dazzling?" Logan raised an eyebrow at her. "That's not very manly."

'My apologies," Rory said quickly. "You look very handsome—hot even."

"Much better. You ready?"

Rory looked down at her dress, at her mother, and then at her outfit again. "I think so." She was waiting to see if her mother had anything to add.

"I don't think you can get more gorgeous then this babe, I did a pretty good job if I do say so myself."

"You did a good job on what?" Logan asked, confused by Lorelai's comment.

"You didn't tell him?" She looked at Rory who shook her head. "I made Rory's dress."

"You _made_ it?"

"I did."

"It's outstanding Lorelai. Just wait until people at the party hear this one, it'll be the talk of the night."

"Really? Well don't listen to whatever it is that they say babe, you look amazing and I promise nothing will fall apart."

"Nothing you make ever really does."

"Just be careful of that string, you know which one, and the seam by your hip oh and the hem…" Logan paled at the mention of the little things that could make the dress fall about and both girls laughed at his lack of color.

"That wasn't very nice," Logan scolded. "So how about it Ace?" He moved closer to her and offered her his arm which she gladly took.

"Thanks for everything mom, I'll call you tomorrow."

"Tomorrow. Have a good time kid, you take care of her tonight Logan, don't feed her to all the lions, ya know?"

"I promise not to let anything happen to her." He led them outside and opened the car door for Rory, tucking her safely inside before closing the door and rounding the car to get in on his side, offering Lorelai one last wave before placing the car in drive and heading towards his parent's house.

"Are you nervous?" Rory asked as he got onto the highway.

"About what?"

"About me meeting your family."

Logan laughed. "You already know my dad Ace, and he loves you. And you met Honor and Josh a few weeks ago, they loved you too."

"What about your mother? And your grandfather?"

"Who cares what they think?"

"You do. You may not want to but if they don't like me it'll still bother you."

"You just think you know me so well, don't you Ace?" Logan made yet another turn onto a street where the houses were so huge there were only two or three on each side of the street, each a good distance away from each other, before making a final turn into what Rory assumed was his parent's house.

"This is it?" She asked, now slightly intimidated.

"Are you telling me you're afraid of the house?" Geez, if she was this worried about a house how would she react to the people inside it?

"No, Madeline's house was just as big, just not as intimidating. I wasn't worried if people at Chilton liked me or not."

"But you're worried about the people inside my house liking you? Rory, come on, it doesn't matter what they think. Whether or not my mother and grandfather like you will not determine our relationship. The only people who decide anything about our relationship are you and me. No one else's opinion counts, you got that?"

Rory nodded. He had used her real name stressing how important what he was saying really was. She knew that Logan didn't care about what his family thought of her or their relationship but no matter what his relationship with his family it would be an added stress for them to not like her. She was worried about their opinion of her stressing Logan out more than stressing her out—Rory didn't care what members of society thought of her, she never did and she never really would, but that didn't mean she didn't hope for their approval. The Huntzberger's accepting her would make things much easier. "Thanks." He was being great, very supportive and saying all the proper things; Logan definitely could not be faulted in this situation.

"Anytime Ace, let's go before I lose my nerve." He was nervous and he knew she knew he was nervous so there was really no use in trying to hide it. Soon enough they would be inside and on their way to starting a sub-party with their friends, making the party bearable for the rest of the evening. He grabbed her hand and led the way inside, helping her off with her coat, handing it to the maid along with his own before heading for the main room.

"Logan! You're here! You're late!" Honor's voice was the first he heard and Logan was grateful. At least the night could start on the right foot.

"Sorry Honor, you know how girls can be."

"I resent that!" Rory declared from his side.

"Rory! So glad you could make it! I don't know why you'd choose to be here but it's nice that you are. Another person that can help make this night bearable. Mom, Dad and Grandpa have been looking for you Logan. Mom and Grandpa are simply dying to meet Rory you see."

Logan nodded. "I'm sure that's it. Where's Josh?"

"Oh, he got dragged into a conversation about something or other financial. I need to rescue him, that's where I'm going now."

"How long have you left him there?" Rory asked with a smile; she had spotted Josh on the other side of the room and could see the sweat on his face.

"Ten minutes, maybe? What!" Honor declared as she saw the look on Logan and Rory's faces. "The line at the bar was longer then I thought and I got cornered myself. He's 26 years old I think he can get himself out of a bad conversation if he really needs to be. Now, if you'll excuse me, don't forget to let me know when and where for later, okay?"

"Sure Honor." Logan took Rory's hand in his again and headed for the bar. "So what do you think Ace?"

"The room is amazing." Rory looked around again truly appreciating the décor both of the room itself and that which Shira picked out especially for this evening.

"Well I'm glad the setting is pleasing." Reaching the front of the bar he ordered their drinks. No sooner had he handed Rory her drink then did he hear his father's voice.

"Logan! Rory!" Mitchum's booming voice was heard.

"Here we go," Logan whispered as they headed towards his father who had a strained smile on his face.

"Don't look so worried Logan, they're your family after all."

"That's right, I know what to expect, you're still naïve enough to think everything's going to be okay."

"You're the one who said that your father already liked me so that was half the battle."

Logan didn't answer her considering they had reached the small group of his immediate family. "Dad! Mom!" Logan shook his father's hand, kissed his mother's cheek and turned to his grandfather. "Grandpa." Logan shook his head and offered them all a tight form of a smile. "Everyone I'd like you to meet Rory Gilmore, my girlfriend. Rory, my parents, Mitchum and Shira and my grandfather Elias."

"It's nice to meet you all, thanks for inviting me this evening." Rory smiled at them, shaking hands with the men.

"You're Richard and Emily's granddaughter, aren't you?" Elias asked in his typical grumpy manor.

"Yes, I am," Rory confirmed. "I believe they said they were coming this evening as well."

"Yes, I saw your grandmother earlier, she was looking for you."

"I'll look for her in a while," Rory answered Shira politely.

"You want to become a reporter, don't you?" Elias interrupted the strained conversation.

"Yes, I do."

"She fits in perfectly with the Huntzberger's Grandpa; dad even has her interning at the Gazette."

"She's very talented," Mitchum chimed in.

"She won't make an acceptable Huntzberger wife," Elias stated bluntly.

"Grandpa…" Logan said in a warning tone.

"Dad, I don't think this is the place."

"Can you think of another time where Logan will actually be here for this discussion? It's better said before this 'thing' gets too serious."

"I have to agree with your father Mitchum, it's better to get it all out now." Shira looked at her husband and then Rory. "I'm sure you're a lovely girl Rory, your grandparents have nothing bad to say about you, you're just not suitable for Logan here. You understand, don't you? You know how our world works." Rory started at Shira wide-eyed.

"It's inappropriate to have a Huntzberger wife _working_," Elias said as if he had soap in his mouth. "You can't be serious about her Logan."

"Grandpa, I am serious about her. I like that she has aspirations that don't include my bank account."

"While I may be able to understand your point son, I don't think Rory is the right person to support you in your future endeavors," Mitchum said, trying to be a little bit more diplomatic then his wife and father.

"Are you serious? Dad, this is Rory, _Rory_, your favorite intern."

"Exactly, my favorite_ intern_. In the newspaper world she's amazing, she has a great journalistic abilities and I'm sure she'll make some young man very happy, but it's not you.'

"How do you know that?" Logan couldn't believe what was going on.

"Logan, you need someone who will understand your hectic schedule, who will be there for you when you need her. You don't need someone who is off covering her own stories, off in another country for undetermined amounts of time; that's no way to live. You can't have a family with a woman who's all around the world like that. You need someone more stable, someone devoted simply to you and your needs, your life."

Logan was surprised he was still breathing he was so angry at his father. The man was truly unbelievable. "We'll forget that fact that Rory and I are not engaged, we're dating, and move on to the bigger issue at hand here. It seems I need to let you all know that I will not be marrying a woman who waits for me at home, is around only to serve me, who has no life on her own. And before you start with the whole she'll be on committees and taking care of the family and all of that, shove it. When Rory has a family, no matter what her job title states, she'll put as much commitment into that as she would her job. No one knows where either of us will be in a year, let alone ten, so please stop assuming things. I should have realized that bringing her here would only subject her to your archaic ideas of marriage, ideas that I will not be following, they will end in this family with you; Honor and I have thankfully turned out normal."

"Logan, she's not a suitable match for you."

"With all due respect Grandpa, you don't get to decide that."

"I don't?" Elias looked shocked that Logan would say something like that to him.

"No, you do not. It's my life and I will date whomever I please and right now I'm dating Rory. She's perfect for me and nothing any of you will say will change our relationship. All decisions about our relationship are left up to two people: me and her. That's it. If you're not Logan Huntzberger or Rory Gilmore your opinion really doesn't count."

"Logan, this girl is not suitable for the Huntzberger name, for our family," Shira said, trying to get her son to understand what they were saying.

"It doesn't matter how many different ways you say it Mother, I don't care what you think. I don't care what Grandpa thinks and I don't care what dad thinks. When it comes to my relationship I care what I think and what Rory thinks. Now if you don't mind we're going to remove ourselves from you backwards old hypocrites." Logan squeezed Rory's hand and led her away from his family while Rory gave an extremely tight and strained smile to the couple. "God Ace, I'm so sorry. I have no idea where that came from. Especially from my father, I thought he liked you."

"He does…he likes reporter Rory, he doesn't like Logan's girlfriend Rory. I should have known this would happen though. Ever since he found out I've felt like things have been off. It's not like he said anything to me, but I just had this feeling in the pit of my stomach."

"I wish you would have given me a warning," Logan said with a grimace.

"Sorry, it's a talent I get from my mother, this whole knowing when you're going to be stabbed by the high and mighty of society."

"Rory! Logan! There you are, we've been looking for you!"

"Oh great, just what I needed," Rory muttered as she turned around and smiled at her grandparents. "Grandma, Grandpa, how are you? Are you enjoying the party?" Rory motioned to the room around them and hoped that her grandparents believed the fake smile she was wearing.

"We're just fine Rory, the party is wonderful. Your mother always puts together such a nice event," Emily told Logan. She hugged Rory and accepted Logan's polite kiss on the cheek.

"How's Yale Rory?" Richard smiled at his granddaughter, always delighted to see her.

"No different then it was last night Grandpa," Rory said with a smile a bit more real.

"Rory your dress is divine," Emily interrupted their conversation.

"Thanks Grandma, Mom made it."

"Lorelai did? Really?"

"Oh course Grandma." She tightened her hand in Logan's and hoped that he got the message. Thankfully he did.

"Richard, Emily, I hate to be rude but I see a few of our friends on the other side of the room that we should say hello to."

"Oh please, go right ahead, I know how young people like to stay together," Richard said with a laugh. "Partying with the adults is never that interesting."

Logan smiled. "Not all of them are bad."

"I'll talk to you later Grandma, Grandpa." Rory hugged them both and allowed Logan to lead them to their friends. "Finn," Rory greeted him as soon as they reached the group, "I need to have whatever you're drinking." She held out her hand and they all stared at her—Finn's drinks were 99.5 alcohol, everyone knew that and no one took his personal drinks unless they were fully prepared. For Rory to want Finn's drink was a reflection on how badly her night was really going.

"Love, are you sure about that? What if I just get you a drink? I'm friends with the bartender."

"I don't think there's a bartender you're not friends with," Rory pointed out, "and yes, I'm sure, I want your drink, the one that is in your hands right now." She gave him the Bambi eyes and he groaned.

"Fine, just this once." Surprised that Logan didn't stop him, Finn handed his almost completely full drink over to Rory, watching wide eyed as she drank almost the entire glass in one sip.

"What's the word on this sub-party?" Rory asked, looking around at everyone.

"Just say when," Colin told her.

"When." They laughed, thinking Rory was just stressed over being in the Huntzberger house and followed Colin through the house to the predetermined sub-party room.

"A little early for the sub-party Huntz, no?" Seth asked as they walked down the hall.

"It's never too early when my parents are involved," Logan explained.

"I see; it sounds like we might need more alcohol then even Finn brought."

"It's possible," Logan agreed. "Hey Finn! How about a reenactment of _Passion of the Christ?_" If there was anything that could make you feel better about your own situation it was watching Finn reenact any movie, particularly his _Passion_ scenes.


	22. Tension In The Newsroom

Chapter 22: Tension In The Newsroom

**Chapter 22: Tension In The Newsroom**

In an extremely un-Gilmore like way after the confrontation with Logan's family Rory had said less than 20 words the entire evening. She sat next to Logan, held his hand, sent to strained smiles to everyone and drank whatever Finn put in her hand, but she said next to nothing. Logan tried, she'd give him that; hell, they all _tried_ but she was stunned speechless by the way his family had treated her. It wasn't that she wasn't prepared for their disdain, she was used to society members have preconceived notions about her because her mother had gotten pregnant at 16 but at the end of the day she was a publicly a Gilmore and "secretly" a Hayden. It wasn't that Rory hid who her father or his last name but since she didn't use it and she didn't talk about him that much no one ever really asked her about him. At one point she figured it was because her parents weren't married and no one wanted to offend her. While she wasn't a fan of speculation, after meeting the Haydens Rory was happy that she didn't have to publicly associate with them. It was a mutual agreement to stay away from each other and that's just how she liked it. But whether or not she acknowledged the Haydens she was still a Hayden and a Gilmore and that meant she was quite a blue blood. She was "higher class" then any of her friends but she just didn't care about it.

After everyone was good and drunk, and stopped asking Rory if she was okay, they returned to Yale to pass out in the boy's dorm. They coupled off, even though Rosemary insisted that she was not sleeping with Finn and Stephanie insisted she couldn't stand Colin, she just liked his bed, leaving Seth and Robert to figure out who was sleeping where in the living room—though neither cared they were so drunk. Sunday was spent in hangover mode going out with dark sunglasses when the need for hangover food overwhelmed them. Rory's cell phone had gone off several times, all of them her mother probably wanting details from the night before, but she was not in the mood to relive the conversation. Thankfully the hangover had clouded Logan's mind enough that he wasn't going to ask her questions about how she was feeling and reassuring her, again, that what his family thought didn't mean anything to him. She knew that but it didn't make the sting of his family's words any less. Just thinking about how nice Mitchum had been to her in the news room, how much he seemed to value her journalistic abilities and then the manner in which he spoke to her and about her in his home staggered her. She couldn't quit her internship, that would be career suicide, especially since he did seem to think she was talented, but the man's Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde act freaked her out. Rory managed to escape everyone Sunday after their "brunch" saying she needed to recover in her own room and get started on some reading. It wasn't until she had taken a two hour nap that she called her mother back.

"Hey there, hi there, ho there," Lorelai answered enthusiastically.

"I love that you're not normal," Rory said.

"Thank you…I think."

"Definitely a good thing."

"Uh-oh," Lorelai knew this could only mean that things did not go well Saturday night,. "What happened?"

Rory sighed. "Taking me away from Grandma and Grandpa's world was the best thing you ever did for me; thank you. If I was anything like those people, if _you_ were anything like those people I would be miserable. I'd hate you, I'd resent you, I definitely would not be your mini-me."

"You're welcome a hundred times over, just remember this conversation the next time your grandmother tries to get you involved in one of her D.A.R. things."

"Oh trust me, I will. I don't think Grandma could get me to a D.A.R. event if Belinda herself was there."

"I don't know Rory, your grandmother getting the Go-Go's to come to a D.A.R. event would be a pretty good reason to go if you ask me," Lorelai pointed out.

"You know what I'm saying mom."

"I know, I know. So tell mommy how the party was; who do I need to beat up?"

"Just the Huntzberger's themselves."

"Oh no, this is really bad. What happened? What'd they say?"

"Apparently I'm not good enough. I have big career aspirations so I could never support Logan and his career. I'd be off in another country and unable to take care of a family let alone actually have a family. I'm just not good enough."

"Are you insane? You're too good."

"I know! Mitchum says I'm a great journalist and I'll go far but I can't go far with Logan. If I were to be with Logan and have a career then he'd be unable to have the life the Huntzberger heir would have to have. All those responsibilities and parties and you know he'll be too busy to pick out his own outfit so I'd have to dress him in the morning. And then there are all those committee's I wouldn't be sitting on and how would that look? Not having the Huntzberger wife in the D.A.R. or helping the library or raising money for some disease or cause or something, it's be scandalous."

"That's funny, really. There's no one better than you babe. You'll have that glowing career _and_ a family…if that's what you want."

"Of course that's what I want!" Rory exclaimed.

"Wait a minute, did you say Mitchum was against you too?" Lorelai was under the impression that Mitchum Huntzberger liked her daughter, why would he switch his character like this? Then again, he was part of society; in that world you can't trust anyone, everyone has an ulterior motive.

"Oh I did," Rory said annoyed. "He said I was an excellent journalist, his favorite intern and I can have a great career, but I'm simply unsuitable for his son, I'm going too many places to be with Logan."

"Unbelievable! That little snake! What did Logan say?" Lorelai crossed her fingers that Logan stood up for her daughter.

"Oh, he told them that they were crazy. He told them that we were only dating, we weren't thinking about marriage. He told them that he'd never marry someone who only wanted to sit on committees and take care of his schedule. He wants someone who has her own life and a life outside of being rich."

"Good for him."

"I know. Then we left the three of them—"

"Wait, the three of them?"

"Oh yes, it was his parents and his grandfather. We left them, ran into Grandma and Grandpa and then formed a sub-party. I'm still hungover."

"What did my parents say?"

"Do you really think I was going to tell them what the hosts of the party had just said about me? Not only would they think I was crazy but they would be embarrassed that something happened at such a gathering."

"They would stand up for you kid, no one says something like that to a Gilmore—or a Hayden for that matter."

"I'm not a Hayden mom." Although her mom was echoing her thoughts from earlier Rory still didn't like thinking about her Hayden relations. She didn't relate to her father's family and she hated the idea that she could only be accepted because of their name; the Gilmore name was well respected in Hartford society and that should be enough for the Huntzbergers. It just should be.

"I know that babe, I know that but you can't deny your blood lines. And you know you're dying to see their faces when they find out they told Straub and Francine's granddaughter that she was too career driven for their heir."

"I was thinking that, I can't deny it; but it's not like _they_ ever recognize me as their grandchild or anything."

"Doesn't mean you can't stop thinking about it and it still doesn't deny the blood that flows through your veins, trust me. So tell me how you're doing."

"I'm shocked. I barely said anything last night, I didn't talk a lot this morning, but no one did we were too hungover, but I left after we ate to come here and talk to you before starting my schoolwork. I just…I'm in shock. I'm a _Gilmore_."

"I know babe and I'm sorry. These high society people are ridiculous. There's so much inbreeding going on that it's a miracle they all don't have eleven toes or three eyes or something."

Rory laughed. "That would be nice to see."

"Are you going to be okay?" Lorelai asked, concerned about her daughter's reaction to Logan's horrible family.

"Yeah…I mean it's over, I don't have to see them again, so that's good and I know Logan's not going to break up with me over it or anything, so that's comforting. It's just…"

"I know kid, I know. And though I hate to bring it up, you do have to see them again, well not _them_, but _him, IT_."

"Oh, right." Rory's face fell as she remembered her internship and the fact that she'd have to see Mitchum every day. "Well at least he likes me there."

"But won't it be weird? You're dating his son and he doesn't approve but he's going to be praising you at the office. Wait, do you think he'll give you more work so you won't be able to see Logan as much?"

Rory paused for a moment. "Damn! I never thought about that. Well I'll just have to make do. If Mitchum works me too hard Logan will come to the paper, he's done it before and I know he'll continue to do it."

"What if Mitchum starts sending him on 'business trips'?"

"Why are you bringing all of this up?" Rory asked with a groan. She knew her mother was only trying to help her but the thoughts weren't comforting. "I don't know what will happen Mom, I haven't talked to Logan about any of this and I'm not planning to right now. I don't want to talk to anyone about it, I want it to go away. Far away. I want to forget it ever happened."

"I don't know that you can do that kid."

Rory let out a heavy sigh. "Enough. Tell me about your weekend." Lorelai launched into a full rant about Stars Hollow and the inn and then her date with Christopher the night before. "You sound happy mom."

"I am kid."

"I'm glad. It's about time this happened for you…both of you."

"We think so too. And you're really okay with this?" Lorelai asked, skeptical about her daughter's easy acceptance of the budding relationship with her parents.

"What child doesn't want their parents to be together? Sure it's a little odd that my mom and dad are dating but it's a good odd."

"Well that's good."

"I should probably get started on my work."

"Are you sure you're going to be okay?"

"No, but I have to be."

"You'll call if you need me?"

"I always do."

"Good. I love you kid and you're amazing, remember that. Logan's lucky to have you, you're too good for him." Rory snorted. "You are, don't argue with your mother."

"I love you mom, good night."

"Good night babe."

Once Rory disconnected the phone she reached for her books, looking for solace in her reading to forget about the awful weekend she had.

**GGGGGGGG**

She'd never been so unhappy to go to work before. Usually going to the Gazette gave her a change of pace from school and the YDN and Yale but today she'd do anything to bury herself in her books. She procrastinated as much as she possibly could before reluctantly going to her car, making sure to stop for two very large coffees knowing she would need them to get through the next couple of hours. There was a pit in the bottom of her stomach she took to mean this afternoon was going to be especially rough. Walking through the building she smiled at those she passed heading for her desk praying that Mitchum wasn't at his when she passed it. Luckily he wasn't and with a relieved sigh she put her coffee and bag down before taking off her coat and sitting at her desk, ready to look through the papers left there. There were a few notes from Evan as well as something from Mitchum, asking her to stop by and discuss the project with him when she got in this afternoon. Deciding she wanted to avoid him as much as possible Rory pushed that small stack of papers to the bottom of the pile and started working on everything else.

Her phone rang a few hours later, startling her out of her intense daze. "Rory Gilmore."

"Gilmore, it's Evan, how's it going?"

"Fine thanks, I'm working on the third piece you gave me."

"That's great. I wanted to make sure you were actually here, Mr. Huntzberger said he left you a note to see him when you got in, some kind of project he wanted to discuss with you, but you didn't stop by, he didn't know if you were here."

"He couldn't look down the hall?" Rory asked, somewhat annoyed.

Evan was a little surprised at Rory's tone, usually she and the big boss got along, this new hostility was interesting. "Well I was walking out of a meeting in his office and he asked me to check in on you, so I am. He asked you go to his office immediately."

Rory let out a sigh. "Fine. I'm going." She hung up the phone and sighed again. If there was one thing she really didn't want to do it was see Mitchum Huntzberger. Pulling the papers out from the bottom of the pile she pushed her chair back and slowly made her way to his office, knocking on the door before entering.

"Now Rory, what did I tell you about knocking? Especially when I asked you to stop by." Mitchum had a slight smile on his face at the repeat of the conversation they had a few weeks ago and motioned to the chair in front of his desk.

Rory eyed him carefully, completely on guard, in society mode and cautious of everyone's every move. "I'm sorry Mr. Huntzberger, I'll try and remember that."

"Rory, I told you to call me Mitchum." He was watching her intently, a frown crossing his face.

"I know you did sir, but in lieu of recent events I don't think it's appropriate for me to do so anymore. So if you could please talk to me about the project so I can get started on it I'd appreciate it. I have a lot of school work to do this evening as well, I need to leave to go back to Yale soon." Rory put on her most professional voice, took the pen out from behind her ear and watched him, waiting for instructions.

"I would like to take a moment and remind you Rory that while I admit I do not approve of you as a girlfriend for my son it has nothing to do with your journalistic abilities. You're an extremely talented writer and you'll go far, just not suitable for my son. I don't want things to be off between us at the paper. You're one of the best writers I have." Mitchum had bee watching her face while he spoke and was unhappy to see she was showing no emotion.

"I won't let your personal opinion of me affect my work, Mr. Huntzberger, but you are foolish to think the easy-going relationship we had will continue after the sentiments you expressed towards me Saturday evening. Now, about this project?" Rory had used her best Emily Gilmore voice and hoped he understood that she was done discussing Saturday night and his personal opinion of her and ready to work. She would do her best work for him, just as she always had, but she would not keep up the friendly attitude. Mitchum Huntzberger could favor her all he wanted, that didn't mean she'd have to enjoy it.

"Yes, well, this is what we're planning…"

After receiving Mitchum's assignment Rory worked for another three hours before finishing up for the day. Leaving the office she stopped at the Starbuck's next door and got another two coffees before heading back to school. She got back to her room to find a half awake Finn leaning against her wall next to her door. "Finn?" She asked staring at him strangely.

"Hi love, you're back!" Finn's eyes popped open and he smiled at her.

"Yeah, I am…how long have you been here?"

He looked down at his watch and shrugged. "Maybe an hour."

"Why didn't you knock? Paris is home I think."

"She is," Finn said with a nod. "And I did knock but you know you have a very scary roommate love." Finn shuddered as he thought of Paris.

"I'm sorry for whatever she did. Do you want to come in?" Rory asked as she unlocked the door.

"Are we going to be seeing _her_?"

Rory laughed. "We can into my room if that would be better." Finn nodded. "Alright, come on, let's go."

"Gilmore! Good, you're back, oh and you found the Aussie. You should really start answering your cell phone, people have been calling and stopping by to look for you all day."

"My cell phone?" Rory reached into her purse to find that she had turned it of during classes and never put it back on. "Oh sorry Paris, it was off all day, I won't let it happen again."

"Good." Paris turned around and went back to her room, slamming the door behind her.

"Do you want anything Finn?" Rory moved to the little kitchen area and turned on the coffee pot while searching for some kind of chocolate.

"Rough day?" Finn asked as she found a package of donuts.

Rory shrugged. "Just another manic Monday. What brings you by?" She asked. "Not that I don't enjoy seeing you and all."

Finn gave her a small smile. "I'm glad to hear that love, at least my ego is in one piece. I was worried about you, wanted to make sure you were okay."

One of Finn's more endearing qualities was his lack of ability to react when he was drunk but within two days he remembered the events of the night and instantly got worried. It seemed sometime today he had figured out why Rory was so upset Saturday night and wanted to make sure she was okay. Well, it was either that or Logan didn't want to bombard her with himself so he sent Finn. "Well that's very sweet of you Finn, but I'm fine."

He studied her for a moment, really looking her over. She looked tired—both from a lack of sleep and the craziness of the day. It seemed like she had had her guard up all day and was now tired of it. "I'm sure you'd like me to believe that kitten, and anyone who didn't know you may actually fall for that line, but you're not okay. Would you like to tell me or would you rather I find Logan for you?"

"Find Logan? Do you not know where he is?" Rory asked, pouring herself a cup of coffee and motioning to it as if to ask Finn if he wanted some. When he shook his head Rory moved to sit on the couch in the living room.

"I know exactly where he is love, he's at the pub where I would normally be. And no, he doesn't know I'm here. No one does but you and Paris. No one asked me to come talk to you Rory, I just wanted to see you for myself. The Huntzbergers can be awful."

"I've met worse," Rory mumbled, thinking of the time a few years back when she met her paternal grandparents.

"I'm sorry to hear that." Finn placed an arm around her shoulders. "Even if you have, it still doesn't make it easy to hear."

"Finn, when your mother gets pregnant at 16 and doesn't marry your father you learn to stop caring about what other people think of you. I know that I'm a good person and my career won't get in the way of marriage and a family. That is what counts."

"Well then that's good. Now, tell me what else is going through that pretty head of yours. What happened today?"

"Well Mitchum…"

"Nothing good comes from a sentence like that," Finn interrupted her.

"I'm beginning to learn that. I thought you all were exaggerating before, but now I realize you weren't." Rory shook her head in amazement.

"It's pretty hard to make up someone like Mitchum Huntzberger."

"I'm learning that."

"What did he do love? Do I need to go kill him?"

Rory laughed. "Thanks Finn." She leaned over and hugged him tight.

"Anytime love, anytime. Now spill."

"Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, that's all I have to say."

"So you're still the favorite, are you?"

She snorted. "Unfortunately. He has the nerve to get upset when I refuse to call him Mitchum. He was honestly angry that I wouldn't just forget about Saturday night. Apparently what he thinks of me as a journalist and what he thinks of me as a woman suitable for his son are two different things. If he can separate them, then I should be able to do the same."

"He really is something else, isn't he?"

"I'm beginning to understand how Logan became so bold. If Mitchum can assume something like that, well…"

"It sounds like you need less coffee and more alcohol."

"Less coffee?" Rory looked at him like he was crazy. "How does _less_ coffee ever help? More yes, vats yes, but _less _coffee is never, ever a good thing."

"I'll remember that love," Finn said with a smile. "What if make it an Irish coffee?"

"Then we can talk."

"Let's go." Finn grabbed Rory by the hand giving her enough time to grab her phone and her keys before dragging her off to the pub to find the others.


	23. United Front

Chapter 23: United Front

**Chapter 23: United Front**

"Mother, really, I can't." He paused. "You know why Mother. Yes Mother I'm still dating Rory and no Mother we're not breaking up anytime soon. No! I won't break up with her to make you happy; making you happy is on the bottom of my list of things to do right now. You control enough of my life, I'm not letting you control who I date. Goodbye Mother." Logan hung up the phone and sighed.

"Sounds like your mother was in fine form," Colin commented. Logan was sitting at the kitchen table while Colin was in the living room. Although he didn't want to eavesdrop on the conversation it was slightly difficult not to hear Shira's screeching voice through the phone and Logan's exasperated responses.

"She can't grasp the fact that I have a girlfriend who I'm very happy with. She wants to set me up with daughter's of her friends." Logan ran a hand through his hair, a pure sign of frustration.

"That sucks man, I'm sorry."

"I know, thanks."

"Where is Rory, by the way?" Rory was becoming a regular in their dorm, not that he or Finn minded, but it was weird that having her not around was weird.

"I can't keep track of her schedule, she's involved in everything! But I think she's either at the Gazette trying to stay away from my father or at the YDN trying to stay away from Doyle."

"What is it with her and editors?" Colin asked with a shake of his head.

"They feel threatened by her incredible talent?" Logan offered as an answer.

"You think she's talented huh?" He teased Logan.

Logan smirked. "You bet I do. I just hope she isn't too worn out whenever she finishes, it would be nice to see her."

"Didn't you see her last night?" Colin distinctly remembered Logan ditching the group for dinner in order to spend some time with his girlfriend who he always claimed he never got enough alone time with.

"Yeah," Logan shrugged, "but she was studying the whole time."

"What did you do?" It was well known that Logan Huntzberger did as little work as possible.

"Caught up on some reading, studied a little bit myself."

"Is Miss Gilmore turning you into a good student?"

Logan laughed. "She spends so much time studying that I end up studying just to spend time with her. She claims that if I don't find something besides her to keep myself occupied with she won't be able to concentrate and she'll kick me out of the room. She's done it once or twice too."

Colin laughed as the picture of Rory kicking Logan out of her room for disturbing her while she was studying came into his mind. "I can totally see that man."

"Thanks."

The door opened a second later, the voices that could now be heard belonged to Finn, Rosemary and Stephanie; they were in a heated discussion about something. "Hi mates," Finn greeted as they all took seats around the living room—except Finn who moved into the kitchen to get something to drink. "Loves?" He asked, speaking to the women he had come in with and holding up the bottle in his hand.

"Make mine a double Finny!" Rosemary called out.

"Me too!" Stephanie echoed.

"Isn't it just a little early to drink?" Colin asked the women; he, along with everyone else, knew that it was never too early for Finn to start drinking—unless he had a major assignment due, then he needed to be slightly more sober than usual.

"Not after our afternoon," Stephanie said with a heavy sigh. "Thanks Finn." She took the glass from Finn and took a big gulp.

"You might want to ease up there Steph," Logan advised. "What happened this afternoon?"

"We ran into our favorite person," Rosemary filled the boys in, while using air quotes around the word favorite.

"What did she want?" Colin asked, slightly disgusted.

"To bother us. Try and be friends again. Of course she said nothing about being sorry about what happened with Rory and she didn't offer to apologize to Rory either, but she wanted to make things better with us."

"She's still scared," Finn said happily.

"How can that make you so excited?" Steph asked him.

"I like it when people are scared of us, with or without a good reason to be." Colin commented. He didn't seem like the kind to be so vindictive but in certain situations he was worse then the others.

"You're alright though?" Logan asked from his seat at the table, still frustrated over the conversation with his mother.

"Yeah, we're fine Logan," Steph assured him. "But you don't look like you are, what's going on?"

"He got a call from his mother," Colin filled them in.

"I can speak for myself Colin," Logan said in an annoyed tone.

"I know that you can, but I didn't think you'd want to. The steam is still coming out of your ears after all." They laughed and Colin decided to continue and save Logan from speaking. "Apparently Shira wants to set him up with some society girl. Logan refuses and she's angry."

"My mother thinks she knows what's best with me. I told her she's controlling everything else, she's not getting to control my love life." Logan sighed. "I wish they weren't so damn difficult, there's no reason for them _not_ to like Rory."

"I'm sure they like her just fine…as long as she's not your girlfriend," Rosemary reasoned. "I mean she said your dad is still nice to her at the paper and all, he just doesn't like that the two of you are dating."

As if she knew what they were talking about Rory walked through the door, complaining loudly so Logan would hear her. "I'm going to kill your father Logan. It's going to be slow and painful and torturous. They might arrest me for the kind of torture I'm planning

for him. Think your lawyers can get me off for it?"

_A few hours earlier…_

"_Gilmore!" Evan's voice bellowed as she walked towards her desk. _

"_Are you taking lessons from Mr. Huntzberger or something?" Rory asked as she rerouted herself to stop by Evan's desk._

"_What? And when did you start calling him Mr. Huntzberger?" He'd never heard her refer to their boss as anything but Mitchum since the day she started._

"_You're bellowing the same way he does. And what difference does it make to you what I call him?" Rory asked, annoyed that Evan was being so nosy._

"_It doesn't make a difference Rory, I was just commenting on the change, that's all. Don't get so defensive!"_

_Rory rolled her eyes. "What do you need Evan?"_

"_Judy needs help writing an article, these need to be edited," he placed a pile of folders in her arms, "and these need to be fact checked." He placed another stack of folders in her arms and Rory grunted from the awkward weight on her arms._

"_Isn't it your job to edit? You are the editor-in-chief and all."_

_Evan grimaced at her comment. "While I do some editing, I don't have time to do it all Gilmore, that's where you come in."_

"_What about section editors?" She wasn't really trying to be difficult, she just didn't want to do someone else's work. Rory was looking forward to getting out of the paper early for once. Thanksgiving weekend started for her tomorrow at 2pm and she was extremely anxious to get back to Stars Hollow and spend some time with her mother. Finals were just around the corner and she certainly was not looking forward to them for any other reason but their conclusion bringing about the end of the term. _

"_Articles should always be edited by more that one person, you know that," Evan said in a bored tone. He didn't like telling people things that they should already know. In Evan's mind once you're told something you should remember it forever or else you wasted the teacher's time. _

"_Sorry, I won't forget that again. I'll get right on these. Priority?" Rory knew better then to prioritize herself._

"_Editing, then help Judy and then fact check. The checking needs to be done by next Tuesday."_

_Well, at least she could finish it up next Monday; so much for getting out of the paper early tonight. "No problem, I'll get right on this," Rory answered confidently before walking away. She dropped the folders onto her desk and sighed. Putting her headphones on she picked up a pen and began editing the articles in front of her. "Rory Gilmore," she answered her phone almost two hours later._

"_Rory, it's Katie. Mr. Huntzberger would like to see you."_

"_Alright, thanks Katie." Rory hung up the phone still bothered that after all of these weeks Mitchum still couldn't issue an invitation to his office himself. She made sure to finish editing the article in front of her, being that it was the last one, before heading towards Mitchum's office. Once again the door was partially closed and she knocked politely before entering. _

"_Rory! Thanks for coming down."_

_She smiled at him, noticing the other man in the office. "Sorry it took a little longer, I wanted to finish working on the article I was reading."_

"_Oh? What were you doing?" He seemed interested in what her assignment had been doing and it put a red flag up in her mind. _

"_Evan asked me to do some editing before helping Judy and doing some fact checking."_

"_Bring me the papers to be fact checked, I'll pass them along to someone else, you don't need to do that."_

"_Excuse me?" Rory hadn't expected him to take away work from her. _

"_I'm sure you don't want to spend the rest of the evening and Monday afternoon fact-checking, I'll hand the assignment off to someone who I know has more time." _

"_Okay…that would be great, I do want to get back to school and finish some things up. So…thank you"_

"_You're welcome. Are you extremely busy this evening?" Mitchum asked, looking at her intently._

"_Not really, just preparing for finals."_

"_Already? Isn't it a little early?" The man sitting in front of Mitchum's desk spoke for the first time. _

_Rory laughed. "I like to stay on top of things, especially first semester freshman year finals."_

"_I see. Not a bad plan," he acknowledged with a smile._

"_Especially not at Yale."_

"_Ah, you're an Eli?"_

_Rory nodded. "You?"_

"_Fighting Irish," he said with a smile. _

"_Good school," Rory said conversationally._

"_Oh, how rude, let me introduce you. Rory Gilmore meet our newest staff member Jacob Edricks. Jacob, my promising intern/freelancer Rory Gilmore."_

"_It's nice to finally meet you," Jacob said with a smile and an outstretched hand, which Rory shook politely._

"_It's nice to meet you as well Jacob, although I didn't know we were hiring anyone. Welcome." She smiled at him, knowing it was the proper thing to do._

"_A good surprise I hope?"_

_She nodded. "It's always good to have another set of hands in the newsroom. Especially if you can write and edit."_

"_I can do both, I assure you."_

"_Wonderful. Was there anything else Mr. Huntzberger?" Rory asked in her most professional tone. Truthfully all she wanted to do was go back to her desk and get her things together so she could find Logan and the rest of their friends coerce them into going out for dinner. She just needed some time with her friends. _

"_Well I was hoping you could show Jake around the office, maybe go out to dinner, on the Gazette of course. Jake's new to the area, doesn't know a lot of the restaurants or people."_

"_Oh, I…um…" Rory was never good at turning people down but she smelled something fishy going on and knew she had to this time. "I apologize Mr. Edricks, usually it wouldn't be a big deal but I actually have plans with my _boyfriend_ this evening." She stressed the word hoping that both Mitchum and Jake would catch on. _

"_I understand Miss Gilmore, and please call me Jake." He smiled at her and she gave him a strained smile in return. _

"_And please call me Rory," she answered. "If there's nothing else Mr. Huntzberger, Logan is waiting." She mentioned his name purposely, wanting to shove it in his face that she would be dating his son whether or not his family approved. Their approval did not mean everything and they could stay together even if they didn't like her._

_Mitchum stared at her for a moment or two, neither of them blinked, and then he relented. "No, that's it. I'll see you after Thanksgiving, have a good holiday Rory."_

"_You too Mr. Huntzberger, maybe this year you'll even spend it with your family." She knew how they never really did anything special for Thanksgiving. It was some stuffy dinner with business associates. Before Mitchum could answer her she left his office and hurried to her desk to put everything away and gather her bag. On her way out she stopped once more at Mitchum's door. "Mr. Huntzberger here are the articles to be fact checked; you said you'd give them to someone else?" She knew by the look on his face that he no longer wanted to help her out but he managed to hide his feelings in front of Jake. _

"_That's right Rory, I'll take care of them, thanks for bringing them by. Now off you go, enjoy the long weekend."_

"_Thank you." She nodded at him and smiled at Jake before turning and leaving the building. The drive back to Yale was spent in a mix between anger and annoyance that he would have the gall to do something like that in the newsroom. She knew he wanted her to take Jake around the office and to dinner so they could 'get to know each other' and hopefully have some kind of spark. It was disgusting that her boyfriend's father was trying to get her to date another man. When she finally reached Yale Rory headed straight for Logan's room, entering without knocking and starting the conversation before she saw any of them and without saying hello. "I'm going to kill your father Logan. It's going to be slow and painful and torturous. They might arrest me for the kind of torture I'm planning on putting your father through. Think your lawyers can get me off?" When she looked up and saw him at the kitchen table Rory headed in that direction, dropping her heavy bag by the couch on her way._

"I don't know Ace, I've been asking them that question for years and they still haven't told me. What happened?" He noticed how run down she looked and wondered how that happened between Saturday night and right now Tuesday afternoon.

"Damn! Double damn!" She rested her head on her arms that were folded on the table.

"Care to share what happened this afternoon love? Not that you need to give a reason to want to torture Mitchum but you could at least fill us in. If you need an alibi or something we should get the details, shouldn't we?"

"I won't need an alibi Finny, I'll admit to it; besides, if it's torture I want the credit for killing the man."

"I don't know that I've ever seen Rory Gilmore in a hateful, vindictive mood. It's kind of creepy; she's supposed to be the nice one."

Rory snorted, if they only knew how awful a Gilmore could be. Her grandmother could prove even the nicest of women had a mean streak.

"Attractive Reporter Girl, real attractive."

"Thanks Colin."

"Story time Ace?" Logan was sitting across from her at the table and watching her intently.

"He tried to set me up on a date with some new hire at the paper," Rory mumbled into her arms.

"Excuse me?" Logan asked, confused by what she was saying, knowing that she had to be wrong.

"Your father called me into his office, introduced me to this new hire and asked me to show him around the office and take him to dinner. He wanted to set me up, I saw the look in his eyes."

"You know my father that well?" Logan asked, slightly surprised.

"It was his scheming look, I recognize it from my years of practice with Emily Gilmore. Considering your father has no reason to scheme where I'm concerned, except for the fact that I'm dating you I came to the conclusion that he wanted to set me up with this Jake guy so I would stop dating you or you would get upset that I going out to dinner with this guy—canceling our plans for tonight and all."

"We didn't have plans tonight."

"But your father didn't know that. You're missing the point here Logan."

"No, I got the point Ace, you don't have to worry about that."

"I really hate your family Logan. I'm sorry, but I really do. The only one I like is Honor."

"Join the club, love."

"Finn?" Rory turned her head and for the first time registered that everyone was sitting around the living room listening to their conversation. "I'm glad you're all hear, makes it easier, how about dinner?"

"Makes what easier?" Colin asked.

"Getting everyone to go out for dinner."

"You mean you're not going to steal Logan and have dinner just the two of you?" Steph teased her.

Rory shook her head. "Nah."

"Okay, let's go, I'm hungry!" Finn stood and looked at everyone impatiently.

"You just want more alcohol," Colin pointed out.

Finn shrugged. "Okay, so that too, but I really am hungry. Drinking makes you hungry."

"It does," Rosemary agreed.

"Ah, the lovely Rosemary agrees with me, how…lovely."

Rosemary rolled her eyes at Finn. "I'm not going to sleep with you."

He looked upset for a minute before shrugging. "It's not like you're a red head anyway."

"Hey! I am a red head!"

"Strawberry blonde," Finn announced. "Now let's go!" He led the way to the door, everyone getting up and following him, Logan and Rory behind the others, hands clasped together.

"Sorry about my father Ace," Logan apologized as they walked towards The Rich Man's Shoe.

Rory shrugged. "You can't stop him, I don't think anyone can stop him."

"Probably not. If it makes you feel any better my mother called today and tried to set me up with three different girls, all her friend's kids."

"That's supposed to make me feel better? Your father trying to set me up with other guys and your mother trying to set you up with other girls? If that's supposed to make me feel better Logan then you've got to work on your cheering up skills."

Logan smiled at her. "Okay, so maybe that doesn't make you feel _better_ but you know I'm dealing with it too. And now you realize how crazy my parents really are."

"Crazy doesn't even begin to cover it," Rory told him.

"How true that is," Logan agreed. He pulled her as close to him as he could with their hands still connected and kissed the side of her head. "They're not going to break us up," he stated calmly and confidently.

"You sure about that?" Rory asked in a soft voice.

"Are you going to break up with me because they don't like you?"

"No!" Rory insisted. She was not going to let Mitchum and Shira Huntzberger decide who she could and could not date. Being a professional woman and married wouldn't be the end of the world; she'd make it work.

"Good."

"What about you? Are your parents going to be able to make you regret breaking your playboy ways to commit to me?"

"Never. My parents never have and never will dictate my love life. They may have forced me into things when I was younger, but not now. They control too much of my life as it is and that part I can't change, but I can change this part. I like you Rory, I want to be with you, I don't care what they think."

"I'm glad." She leaned up and kissed the side of his face, right on his jaw line. "Come on, I'm hungry and the others are really far ahead!"

"Far be it from me to keep a Gilmore girl away from her dinner," Logan said with a smile as she dragged him closer to the others and immersing herself in the conversation they were having.


	24. Escape From Insanity

Chapter 24: Escape From Insanity

**Chapter 24: Escape From Insanity**

"Hi Rory, how's it going?"

"Paris! Hi, what are you doing here?" Rory had just finished her final class of the day and was surprised to see Paris was waiting for her outside the room.

"I wanted to make sure you were still alive."

"Well, here I am, safe and sound." Rory knew she hadn't been in her own room much the past few weeks but between school and the paper and everything else she was either at the library all night or staying with Logan. For whatever reason in her stressful state Rory managed to sleep better when he was next to her. There was something about Logan's strong heartbeat lulling her to sleep that made the stress of each day dissipate slightly. "I'm sorry I haven't been around much." Truthfully Rory didn't think Paris would notice that much. Between her classes and studying and the paper, not to mention Doyle, Paris was quite busy herself.

"Life gets in the way, especially when you're dating Huntzberger, I can understand that." Paris wasn't angry with Rory for being ghostlike the past few weeks she was only worried. The Rory Gilmore she caught at the paper looked pale and stressed and as if she couldn't handle everything on her plate. Paris had kept her comments to herself, knowing Rory wouldn't appreciate them, and actually found herself thankful that her roommate was dating Logan Huntzberger. As much as she tended to loathe the rich guy, he did know how to relax and was probably helping Rory do so. "Are you okay?"

They were standing on line waiting for coffee that Rory was obviously in desperate need of; her body was starting to shake slightly from what was an obvious caffeine withdrawal. "I'm fine Paris, why do you ask?"

"You look like a wind-up toy that's about to die; are you living off of coffee?"

"Since when is that new?" Rory asked, anxious to get to the front of the line.

"It's not…it's just that it looks worse then it ever was before." Paris had seen Rory in study-mode before but it had never been like this.

"This semester's just a little more intense then I expected, that's all."

"Is it Logan's father?" Paris knew that the Huntzbergers didn't exactly approve of Rory and Logan dating and Mitchum was in turn making her life at the Gazette harder then it needed to be. While he still favored her, he asked her to do more work keeping her at the office longer probably thinking that it would keep her from going out with Logan who would in turn get annoyed that he was alone all the time and to start looking for other…companionship. Unfortunately, what Mitchum didn't realize is on nights that Rory worked late at the Gazette, Logan either helped her finish her work at the paper or picked her up and took her home. He refused to let her drive home that late, knowing how tired she actually was. Mitchum would probably scream if he knew that.

Rory shrugged. "Mitchum likes my work, he's giving me a lot of responsibility. And even if he's only giving me the work to keep me away from Logan it's not like he's giving me articles to fact check all the time. He's giving me actual work. I'm getting a lot experience in all difference parts of the paper."

"Well, that's good I guess. Are you getting _any_ sleep? Having any fun?" Paris inquired.

"I am sleeping Paris, I promise. I'm just at Logan's most of the time." Paris nodded and it was finally their turn. "Hi Charlie, I'll have a large coffee black and a large caramel macchiato. Paris?" The other girl simply shook her head. Rory paid the man and quickly drank the black coffee.

"You may want to slow down there," Paris commented as she watched Rory down one coffee and quickly start on another.

"Can't, I've got another class. I'll see you later Paris."

"You're coming home tonight?" She was surprised.

"Oh…um, no…I just need to pick up a few things." Rory blushed slightly at the admission.

"Right, well I'll see you later, try and take a break, okay?" Rory's only answer was a small smile and wave as she headed into the building in front of them for her class. While Rory went in one direction Paris headed in another standing impatiently at the door after knocking waiting for the inhabitants to open up. "I know you're in there! It's not like you ever go to class!"

"What are you yelling about love? It's still bright out!" Finn threw open the door, a scowl on his face over being woken up so early.

"It's almost one o'clock in the afternoon, get up already! Everyone else is!" Paris screamed, not paying attention, more like not caring, that Finn had a hangover and her loud voice was hurting him.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" Finn asked as he shut the door behind the blonde who invited herself in.

"I'm looking for Huntzberger…"

"I don't know if you heard doll but he's off the market, taken by the lovely Reporter Girl." Although drunk, Finn did know better then throw Rory's name out to a girl who would probably want to kill her for taking Logan off the market.

"I know that," Paris said with a roll of the eyes, "that's who I need to talk to Huntzberger about."

"What's wrong? Is she okay?" Finn was slightly more awake thinking that something was wrong with Rory.

"No, nothing's wrong…well…not exactly, I mean it's not life threatening…really, it's just…"

"Could you just say it already!" Finn was frustrated trying to wait for the blonde to get the words out and not even her death glare, which he was sure scared everyone else, was freaking him out.

"Where is he?"

"Who?" Colin asked walking through the door.

"Doesn't he live here? She's here all the time, he has to live here, so where is he?" Paris was tapping her foot with frustration and impatience.

"Are you talking about Logan?" Colin looked at the blonde a minute longer. "Paris, right? Rory's roommate?"

"And best friend," she confirmed. "Where's the third stooge?"

"I take offense to that!" Colin said with a huff. "And I thought he was here."

"He is."

"Then why hasn't he come out? He didn't here Paris screaming?" It was hard to believe someone would be able to block Paris' voice from their mind, but Rory was probably an expert at that by now.

"I don't have all day!"

"What's going on out here?" Logan came out of his room, having wanted to ask Colin a question not knowing that Finn or Paris was around. "Finn? You're awake?"

"Don't ask," he mumbled.

"Paris?" Logan looked at the irritated blonde in his living room. "To what do we owe this honor?"

"We need to talk," she said abruptly, "about Rory."

"Is she okay?" Logan was instantly worried and looked down at his watch noting that she should have been in class by now. Besides, if anything serious had happened Paris would have called, not stopped by herself, right?

"Well, kind of, for the most part…"

"Don't you speak in complete sentences doll?" Finn asked, frustrated that she started the whole vague thing again.

"What's going on?" Logan asked deciding that ignoring Finn's complaint was the best course of action.

"Have you seen her lately?"

Logan shook his head. "She said she was finishing up late at the library and was going back to her room so she wouldn't wake me up; even though I argued with her about it, I couldn't win. Why? What's going on?"

Paris shook her head. "She wasn't in her room last night, nor has she been all week."

"Where was she?" Logan knew she wasn't cheating but she could have very well been at the library.

"My guess is at the Gazette spreading herself too thin. As if she's not doing enough as it is."

"Excuse me?"

"Your father keeps giving her extra work and instead of thinking he's doing it to keep the two of you apart Rory has decided it means he really likes her work."

"So you know that my father has been keeping her there all night?"

Paris shrugged. "I don't think he forces her to be there all night but she is. She wants everything she gives him to be perfect, especially since he hates that the two of you are dating. And by the time that happens she doesn't want to loose study time by changing locations so she brings all her books and studies at the paper before passing out for three hours and getting up for classes and more work."

"How in the hell is she pulling that off?" Colin asked, knowing that Rory could spread herself thin very well but they had also been out with her Friday and Saturday night and she seemed like the Energizer Bunny.

"Coffee is really a marvelous invention, isn't it?"

Logan shook his head. "I knew her coffee addiction would kill her one day."

"It may be sooner then you think. She's running on pure caffeine, I just saw her."

"Well, thanks for letting me know Paris. I'll take care of it."

"Really?" She raised her eyebrows at him. "How are you planning on doing that?"

"Oh, just a little pre-finals break, that's all."

"Good luck getting her to agree to that."

"Never underestimate the powers of persuasion and charm that come with being a Huntzberger."

She snorted. "Right. Well good luck getting Rory to agree to go away before finals, really. Not even your Huntzberger charm and persuasion can help you with this project, I can promise you that." Paris turned on her heels and walked out of the dorm without another word.

"What are you thinking?" Colin asked Logan as the door closed behind Paris.

"Not too far but definitely not the East Coast. Someplace warm." He was thinking about Rory in a bathing suit and couldn't help the grin that spread across his face.

"You have a dirty, dirty mind Huntzberger."

Logan just laughed. "Warm and relaxing, a beach perhaps. Suggestions?" He looked back and forth between his friends.

"Caribbean?" Colin threw out, getting a negative response from Logan.

"Costa Rica!" Finn had a new obsession with Costa Rica and none of them knew why.

"Miami?"

"Not a bad possibility, where else?"

"California's always a nice change. Santa Monica or San Diego. Wait, how about Malibu?"

"Not a bad idea Finn."

"Why does that sound like you're surprised I came up with a good idea?" Finn asked, slightly defensive.

"It's just that the sun is up," Logan explained, "and your best ideas usually come up when the sun is asleep and the alcohol is flowing through your veins."

"Valid point," Finn replied with a nod.

"So, Malibu?" Colin asked. "What about Hawaii? Maui?"

"We like the M places, don't we?" Logan said with a smile.

"M places?" Stephanie asked as she let herself into the room. Everyone knew that the guys rarely, if ever, locked their door. "Are you going somewhere?" She looked at Logan and then her eyes went wide. "Are _we_ going somewhere?" They could see the excitement growing within her.

Logan nodded. "It seems that my girlfriend is working herself to the bone and is going to die from too much caffeine, so we're planning a weekend getaway before finals start."

"Not to mention the stress from your family disapproving of your relationship, huh?"

"That certainly hasn't been helping," he agreed. "So what do you think, Malibu or Maui?"

"Oh, wow, that's hard. I love them both! Where did we go last time we needed a warm location? Oh right, Bermuda, that was a good time too. Now let's see, Maui, it's an island, so lots of water although it's the Pacific and we wouldn't really be going swimming anyway, we'd be going for the sun and the beach. But if we do that in Malibu we can still get in lots of good L.A. shopping and maybe take a trip to San Diego or something."

"Steph, I don't think we'll make it to San Diego, we're only going to be there a few days," Colin pointed out. Stephanie pouted. "Well it's a two hour drive from L.A. which means four hours in the car plus whatever time we spend there."

"We could always fly into LA and out of San Diego, couldn't we? We'd take your family's plane Logan, wouldn't we?"

"We would at that," he confirmed with a nod of his head.

"So we could do it that way, couldn't we?"

"What's the obsession with San Diego?" Logan asked.

She shrugged. "No idea, just think it would be fun. Rory would probably enjoy the zoo."

The guys laughed at Stephanie's reasoning. "Okay, so it sounds like we've decided on Malibu. I'll make arrangements for the plane, Colin, you book us a place?" Colin nodded. "Finn, when you wake up a bit more make sure to scope out all the places we need to go to have a good time."

"Got it mate!" Finn enjoyed that part of researching the trip. Though he could plan the logistics perfectly well, putting Finn in charge of the partying was always the best idea. He managed to find the best places to drink and dance that were known for celebrity sightings, something Stephanie lived for and if she didn't see someone when she was there she'll pout for two weeks after they get home, and he always managed to get them in simply by dropping his last name. It was a great situation.

"Thanks buddy. Okay, I'm going to find Ace, make sure she's still alive, drag her back here for some sleep." No sooner had the words come out of his mouth then the front door opened and Rory walked through talking to someone on the phone, who they quickly narrowed down to be Lorelai.

"Mom! Mom! How can you say that? It can't be true! It's wrong, just wrong. Well tell Luke he's wrong and if he withholds coffee from me the next time I come home I'm going to…well…you're going to…do something! You know you would mom, this is _coffee_ we're talking about it. It's not red meat or candy or forcing healthy foods on us, it's the liquid running through our veins! Are you really trying to tell me that I've had too much coffee? I thought there was no such thing. A quota? I never thought I'd hear the day when Lorelai Victoria Gilmore would tell me that I should have a coffee quota. You taught me everything I know. And you know what? I think you're breaking one of the sacred Gilmore girl commandments. Commandment one, section 1, article A, huh? That's right! I win! Now, tell me about Sookie and Jackson, are they…" Rory didn't get a chance to finish her sentence because Logan took the phone from her hand while Steph took the coffee and finished it in one sip not that there was too much left in the cup. "Hey! What's going on here?" She yelled out while pouting.

"Hey Lorelai, it's Logan. Yeah, I know. I've got it covered. Yup. Sure. Will do. Talk to you later Lorelai." Logan hung up the phone and looked at his obviously wired girlfriend. "Had a bit of coffee today Ace?"

"Just a smidge. Mom seems to think I need to be cut off."

Logan smiled at her. "I think I may have to agree with her on that."

"What? Logan! How could you?"

Somehow he managed to hide his laughter at her seriously shocked and upset face. "Sorry Ace; I draw the line of coffee consumption when you can't keep your hands and feet still." His comment made everyone, including Rory, notice that she was tapping her left foot on the ground while her right hand was, most likely, involuntarily shaking. "Are you going to be okay?"

"Yeah, sure, of course. Why do you ask?" Rory looked around at the group, surprised by their worried faces; she'd only had a few cups of coffee.

"Because in an hour or so you're going to come down from your caffeine high and crash. Completely."

"I don't crash Logan. It doesn't happen for me, coffee, not blood, runs through my veins."

"With the amount of energy you have right now that wouldn't surprise me Ace. How about you go lay down in my bed for a while, relax a bit? Maybe read a book?" He didn't know if she'd be able to concentrate on the words but it was certainly worth a try.

"Okay, I am a little tired. Wait…is there something else going on here?" She looked around at all of them curiously. "What are you planning?"

"Where'd you come up with that question? Why do you think we're planning something?"

"You're all standing around together, Finn's up when the sun is out and you're trying to avoid me asking you questions."

"Well there's the reason we call you Reporter Girl," Colin said with a smile. "And I guess you live up to the Ace Reporter nickname Logan gave you as well."

Rory smiled. "Tell me."

"We're going to Malibu!" Stephanie squealed, unable to keep it a secret any longer. The guys all groaned, realizing they should have withheld the information from Stephanie until they told her to pack.

"What? When?" Rory was upset that Logan would leave Yale the week before finals; she really wanted/needed him to be there, she had never felt this stressed before—and finals hadn't even started!

"Thursday night, Ace and we're going for the weekend. I'm sure Steph'll drag you shopping so you both can get new bathing suits. Although you'll probably end up with much more than a new bathing suit." Logan winked at her.

Rory shook her head. "Nope, no, I'm sorry, I can't go, there's just too much to do."

"Sorry Ace, no excuses will be accepted. You'll be coming along whether or not we have to drag you there ourselves. Now, how about that nap?" He put a hand on the small of her back and led Rory into his room, closing the door behind him. Slowly he took her bag off of her shoulder and placed it on the floor, taking the time to find her cell phone and turn it on vibrate before sitting her down on the bed.

"Logan, you know I can do this myself." Logan's answer was only a smile in her direction as he took off her shoes and went through his drawers coming back to her with one of his Yale t-shirts and a pair of sweatpants. "You want to change yourself or do you need my help?" Rory simply glared at him before standing up and changing, not caring that he was standing right there.

"Logan?" She asked as she lay down on his bed and relaxed for the first time in a week.

"Yeah Ace?"

"Will you read to me?" Every now and then, when they had some down time Rory and Logan would lay down on one of their beds or on the couch if no one else was home and read a chapter or two of some book to each other. Mostly it was Logan reading to Rory since she loved to hear his voice and it was such a soothing sound to fall asleep to.

"Sure Ace." Logan picked up the book they had been reading before she went into hibernation a week or so ago and got into bed, waiting for her to rearrange herself on him for maximum comfort, and he couldn't help but smile. He had never pictured himself as a boyfriend kind of guy, but the longer he and Rory stayed together the more he liked the person he was when he was with her. Sure, he could have changed somewhat by simply being friends with her, Colin and Finn being proof to that, but the biggest change in him was because she was there. With a constant positive attitude and force in his life, someone both praising him and pushing him to be better, someone keeping him on his toes without being condescending, Logan was becoming a better person and he loved it. And he owed it all to the amazing creature that was currently in his arms. "Ready?" She nodded against his chest and Logan squeezed her shoulders once before opening to marked page and began reading.

**GGGGG**

"Okay, so we'll be gone until Monday," Rory told Paris for the tenth time that hour.

"I know Gilmore. You don't have to keep telling me, I go to Yale, I can remember things," Paris answered in an annoyed tone. "When are you leaving though?" She was looking forward to having the room to herself for the weekend so she could start her own preparation for finals.

Rory shrugged. "I was just told to be packed by this afternoon," it was currently Thursday, "they'll get me whenever they're ready." After arguing for an entire day about actually going on this spontaneous trip Rory realized that it was no use and gave in. She was going to Malibu with Logan and his friends and if she didn't agree they would pack a bag and "kidnap" her.

As if on cue, there was a knock on the door and Paris spun around to answer it. "You're here. Finally."

"It's nice to see you too Paris. How are you?" Logan asked, smirk on his face. He couldn't get over how much Paris disliked him. She only put up with him because she was good friends with Rory and Rory liked him.

"Rory, your boyfriend's here!" Paris called out, ignoring Logan.

Logan didn't think anything of Paris' attitude and instead headed towards Rory's room. "You all set Ace?"

She looked up, obviously startled, and smiled at him. "As I'll ever be." Rory stood and put the book she was reading in the smaller traveling bag in her collection.

As he followed her to her luggage Logan couldn't help but whistle. "That's quite a lot of stuff for a long weekend Ace. You realize we'll be gone for only a few days, right?"

"A few days before finals, yes."

"You packed _books_?" He knew that she was dedicated to her studies but she was truly missing the point of this vacation. Moving towards her bags he tested the weight of one of them and grunted. "Ace, you can't bring every single text book that you have this semester, along with your notes, on this trip. The point of this trip is to get away from school." He gave her a very pointed look.

"I know, I know," Rory said with a sigh. "It's just…finals are so close and to loose all this precious studying time."

"Come on Ace, you've been studying for two weeks, you've been letting my father run you ragged at The Gazette and finals don't start for another week. Let's take a small break from all this stress, mellow you out just a little bit, and then you can throw yourself into a frenzy next week."

"And are you planning some crazy trip for after finals?" Rory raised her eyebrows at him, never knowing what to expect with Logan around.

"Nothing as of now; though keep New Years open, yeah?" Rory nodded her head. "Okay, good. Now, I'll strike a deal with you; you can take books and notes for _one_ class, but only one. And you **cannot** spend the entire weekend studying them. You're going to have fun, even if it's forced."

"I can accept those terms," she answered with a small smile and a nod. Opening the suitcase filled with books, Rory withdrew a notebook and it's corresponding text and placed them in the smaller of the three bags. "I'm ready to go now."

"Right. Come on then, I'm sure everyone's waiting." Logan grabbed Rory's bags leaving her to pick up her purse and waited outside her front door for her to lock it.

"Where are they?"

"In the car, come on." Logan led the way and casually threw her bags in the back of the car with everyone else's before getting in the car and closing the door.

"What are we waiting for?" Rory asked as they continued sitting in the parking lot.

"Are you sure about this?"

"About what?" She looked at Steph strangely.

"Leaving right before finals..."

"Are you kidding kitten?" Finn's voice came from the driver's seat. He immediately revved the engine and headed for the highway; there was no way he was going to let Rory back out of this trip. She was the reason they had planned it.

"Does Lorelai know?"

"Shoot!" Rory pulled out her phone to let her mother know she'd be on the other side of the country for a while.

"How did you forget to tell her?" Logan asked from his seat next to her.

Rory glared at him. "I've been busy. The only reason you've talked to me this week is because you're at Yale."

"You haven't talked to your mom at all?" It was unlikely for Rory and Lorelai to go days without speaking.

"No, we have, but it's mainly her talking and trying to get me to take a break from studying while I continue to look through notes and pretend I'm paying attention." Someone finally picked up on the other line and Rory transferred her attention to the phone. "Hey Mom."

"Hey hun, how are you?" Although Lorelai was known for her ability to answer the phone with all kinds of inappropriate greetings, she held off this time. It seemed Rory was stressing over her first semester finals more than she had stressed about anything before. This was a time for Lorelai to try and offer some serious support and not constantly joke around; of course, this had been decided _after_ she had cracked one too many jokes and her daughter and flipped out.

"I'm okay," she replied, and it almost sounded like she meant it. "I wanted to let you know that I am going away this weekend."

Lorelai stopped looking through the mail to pay closer attention to her daughter. "Excuse me? Did I hear you correctly? The finals that you have been stressing over for two weeks, are starting next week and you're going away?"

"See! I told you it wasn't normal!" Rory shouted to the people in the car upon hearing her mother's response. "Yes mom, you heard me correctly."

"Enough with the arguing Reporter Girl. It's normal for those who are too stressed out to function properly to take a break. Your break just happens to come with a trip across the country," Colin told her.

"The other side of the country?" Lorelai questioned having heard Colin's answer.

"Yes. That's why I'm calling. We have decided a vacation is necessary and we'll be heading for four fun filled days in Malibu." The sarcasm in her voice was evident.

"Malibu huh? Well make sure you get a good tan, and meet a celebrity will you?"

Rory paused. "You're okay with this?"

"Babe, you need a break. Now go and enjoy the weekend in the sun with your blonde boy toy. Make sure to call me every day and buy me something pretty!"

Rory laughed. "Sure Mom. I'll get right on that. Love you."

"Love you too. Be safe!"

And with that the Lorelais hung up their respective phones and Logan took Rory's from her, placing it on vibrate and pocketing it. "Excuse me?" Rory looked at her boyfriend strangely. "Why did you do that?"

"Because for the rest of the weekend, unless you are calling Lorelai as promised, you are not to be near your phone. I'll keep it on vibrate so I'll know if anything major has happened but you are not to worry. You're not worrying about finals or the paper or Paris or your mother or your father. This weekend is going to be about pampering yourself and relaxing. Understood?"

Shaking her head in amusement Rory could only smile. "You're something else Huntzberger, you know that?" He grinned, kissed her soundly and turned his attention back to the conversation going on around them. It was going to be a good weekend.


	25. Do We Have To?

**Author's Note:** So it's been quite some time. I'm sorry. It's been crazy in life not to mention servere writer's block. But I'm trying, so hopefully this chapter lives up to standards. A big warning that the end of this chapter as quite a bit of **M** content so please be aware and don't read through if it offends you. Hope you enjoy…please let me know what you think!!!!

**GGGGGGGGG**

**Chapter 25: Do We Have To?**

The weekend had been fantastic. It started Friday morning with Logan pressing his American Express Black Card in Rory's hand, telling her to get whatever her heart desired. Before she could ask what he meant by that, Logan was pushing her out the door where Stephanie and Rosemary were waiting for her. "What's going on?" Rory asked as she got into the car. No one answered as they were immediately whisked away by the driver that had been hired for them.

"We're going to the spa!" Rosemary exclaimed happily unable to hide her excitement any longer. She was looking forward to this morning, that much was apparent.

"We are?"

"Yes! The boys insisted."

Rory raised her eyebrows. "Did they?"

"Okay," Steph relented, "maybe we insisted but it's for the greater good."

"It is?" This was funny.

"Yes! Going to the spa accomplishes many things. First, it will get rid of the grime and the stress you've been feeling every since the Thanksgiving fiasco with the Huntzbergers." Rory groaned at the memory but Steph ignored her and continued. "Second, it will make you even prettier, which will boost your confidence and I'm sure Logan wouldn't mind. Not that he doesn't love you like this; however, a man does appreciate a little something different every now and then. And finally, who likes to go shopping when they don't feel pretty?"

"With perfect hair and nails what outfit could look wrong?" Rosemary added.

"I have no idea," Rory said in a slightly sarcastic tone while shrugging her shoulders. All she knew was that she would be much more relaxed if she went along with _everyone_ this weekend instead of arguing.

"Exactly!" Rosemary hadn't picked up on Rory's skepticism.

"And don't worry about the cost, okay?" Steph didn't want Rory to worry about anything. Between her and Rosemary they had enough money to cover anything the three of them decided to buy throughout the day.

"Oh, I'm not," Rory assured them. She patted her wristlet. "Logan gave me his Black Card."

Rosemary and Steph shared a look. "Oh he did, did he?"

"Yes." Rory said nothing else but sat back and enjoyed the ride to the spa. Four hours later they exited after full massages, facials, manicures and pedicures. The next stop was for hair, as the makeup would have to be put off due to the facials. When they were all finished primping Steph declared it time to visit Rodeo Drive.

"Oy. Now I understand why men hate shopping so much," Rory declared as she plopped down at a table at some random restaurant they had chosen for lunch.

"Excuse me? Are you sure you're a girl?" Steph asked, her eyes practically bugging out of her head.

"Yes Stephanie, oh drama queen, I am sure of my sex. But I will tell you that shopping in heels does not equal fun. I do not know how you talked me into this."

She grinned. "My powers of persuasion."

"Oh, please. As long as we eat something, and soon, I may be able to forgive you for making things so difficult." They continued on with their lunch, enjoying the girl's day the guys were giving them. Rory declared herself ready to go only _after_ she had eaten everything off of every plate and ordered dessert. Once they left the restaurant Steph decided that it was time to shop for some jewelry. Rosemary squealed and immediately started leading the girls to Tiffany's. Rory followed along fully intending not to spend a dime. She wasn't big on jewelry and while she had managed to talk herself into using Logan's credit card for clothes and beauty, there was something about buying jewelry for herself with his card that didn't sit right with her. It was an act of a wife, not of a girlfriend of only a few months.

Imagine her surprise when she felt two arms wrap around her from behind as she walked through the store. Jumping slightly while emitting a small gasp, Rory turned around and relaxed when she saw her boyfriend. "Sorry Ace, didn't mean to scare you." Logan smiled at her.

Rory returned the smile. "It's okay. What are you doing here?" She hadn't expected to find him until later on that day.

"I wanted to check in. See how your day was going." Rory nodded, understanding and appreciating the gesture. "And I also thought you'd have some issues spending money here." He looked at her face and knew that he was right. "Or in any of the other beautiful jewelry stores around here. Because if there's nothing in Tiffany's that catches your eyes Cartier isn't too far away, or we could go to…"

"Logan, stop. I don't need jewelry."

Logan smiled at her. "Yes, well, from what I've been told nobody really _needs_ a new piece of jewelry, but that doesn't mean they don't want it." He took her hand and led her to closer inspect some of the items. "Now, is there anything here that catches your eye?" He noticed a sales person headed towards them and discreetly shooed that person away, not wanting to overwhelm his modest girlfriend. "Don't worry about price, just look. If you see something you'll try it on, that's all there is to it."

Rory listened to Logan and decided he was right, there was no harm in looking. And before she knew it Logan was asking someone to take some pieces out of the case and suddenly she was trying on some very expensive pieces. They left Tiffany's two hours later and Rory was now wearing a new necklace, bracelet and matching earrings. It was a beautiful set, but she really felt like it was too much and continued to tell Logan that. "Enough Ace. I let you talk me out of the ring, but I wanted to get you everything else so please stop." Of course she didn't know he had purchased the ring without her knowing and would be giving it to her at another time.

"It's too much Logan, really." She was beginning to feel badly. Rory had been spending his money all day. The morning at the spa had been a good amount, almost $800, and then Steph and Rosemary must have talked her into spending a few thousand dollars on clothes and shoes, not to mention the money he just dropped on the jewelry set for her.

"Ace, when are you going to listen to me? I'm telling you that it's fine. All of it. Stop worrying. I'm happy that I could give you a day like today. You needed it."

"But this isn't me Logan," Rory continued to protest.

"And that's what makes it all the better," he explained. "You don't want, need, or expect a day like today. You're fighting me over everything but that's how I know it's appreciated. I like that you appreciate it, you don't expect. It's a change from any other girl I've known. I love Steph and Rosemary, they're some of my best friends and like sisters to me, but they do expect things like this from the guys they date, from their parents and even from us. We're a close bunch of friends, our parents don't look at our bills and we have a lot of money. I've handed my Black Card over to these girls on one of their shopping sprees before and no one has ever commented. They expect that we'll treat them every now and then."

Rory thought about what Logan was saying and shrugged. There was nothing she could do to change his mind. This was the way his world worked some time. "I guess. It's just…well…thank you." She didn't know what else to say; at least he knew she didn't expect something like this from him regularly. It was a treat, and she really did appreciate it. "Are we doing something tonight? Now that I have spent the day primping and shopping I feel as if it needs to be shown off."

"What did you buy this afternoon?" The bags had been brought to the car and stowed in the trunk throughout the day so he hadn't seen anything the ladies had purchased.

"Just some clothes. And some shoes. Nothing really." She didn't want to give away any details.

Logan grinned. "I'm sure. Now. We are going to go to dinner. All of us." He saw her face fall and winked. "I know, I wanted some alone time as well, but I don't think that'll happen tonight. Maybe tomorrow. But we'll have one night to ourselves Ace, I can promise you that."

Rory nodded. "Good. That's all I ask. Now, when is dinner?" Since Logan had driven to Rodeo Drive to meet them he and Rory had taken his rental car back to the house while the girls had gone back with the driver. They were just pulling into the driveway when Rory asked her question.

"I don't know. Finn's in charge; he always finds the hottest places to go and he can get us in." They continued making idle chit chat as they headed inside to see what everyone else was up to.

They went out around seven o'clock that evening. The girls were all dolled up in their new dresses and shoes adorned with pretty new jewelry that not only had the males they were with drooling but everyone else that saw them as well. Logan became extremely possessive of Rory, trying to get every other guy in the restaurant, and the club they went to after, to understand that she was completely taken while Colin and Finn found themselves watching over Steph and Rosemary not wanting anything to happen to them. While the girls insisted they could handle themselves it didn't stop the boys from growling at anyone who got a little too close for their taste.

"Enjoying yourself Ace?" Logan asked as they swayed to the music playing in the club. They had taken to the dance floor almost two hours ago and somehow Logan had gotten Rory relax enough to really enjoy herself. While there was nothing particularly sexual about the music, simply having Rory's body pressed against his so tightly with the little bit of clothing she was wearing for such a long period of time was causing all kinds of reactions in his body. All he wanted to do was get her back to their room at the house and keep her up for hours.

"Mmmm," she replied softly. The slight moan was more into his neck then anywhere else and Logan felt the vibrations throughout his body.

"How much longer do we have to stay?" He murmured in her ear, taking a moment to nip at the shell lightly.

"I don't think they're expecting us to stick around Logan," she answered, surprised at the full sentences coming out of her mouth.

"Good." He pushed away from Rory slowly, reluctant to let her go. "Let's go home." Without giving her time to answer Logan pushed his way through the crowd nodding in Colin's direction giving his friend the silent word that he was leaving. When they finally got outside Rory got into one of the waiting cabs and Logan followed, anxious to get back to the house and continue their evening somewhere much more private.

**GGGGGGGGG**

Rory had been awake for almost two hours before she exited her room in search of both coffee and her boyfriend. She felt him leave the bed an hour ago, gently kissing her forehead before throwing on a pair of pants and going for breakfast himself. She thought he might have brought her back some coffee to entice her to join the others but there was nothing. Not to mention she would have thought the girls would come barging in the minute they saw him emerge without her. But without the return of Logan or her crazy friends begging for details of their disappearance last night, Rory was left to sleep the extra hour, which she appreciated. However, as she quietly walked downstairs she began to realize why no one had materialized in her room.

"Logan, seriously, why can't we go up there?" She heard Steph's whiny voice.

"Because Ace should get all the sleep she wants. Once we get her back to Yale she won't come up for anything except coffee," Logan argued with his friend.

Stephanie growled in response; obviously agreeing but not happy about it. "But we just want to bring her a cup of coffee!" She persisted. "She'd love us for that!"

"I'll bring her the coffee then," he countered and Rory could only guess that he made a move to take the mug from their friend's hand.

"I don't think so!" Rory rolled her eyes at their behavior and wondered how long she could sit there smelling the heavenly brew without having some. Deciding to give them a few more minutes to argue it out she plopped herself down on the stairs completely out of view. And continue they did; only this time, Finn got involved.

"Well obviously something happened last night, otherwise we would be allowed to wake up Reporter Girl. Huntz must have really worn her out. Especially if she's not up from lack of coffee in her veins already."

She smiled. Finn seemed to know her well. "Can't you leave our relationship alone for five minutes?" Logan was almost pleading with them and Rory did all she could not to laugh out loud.

"No! You're the first one of us to ever have a relationship. How in the world do you think you could possibly get us to shut up about it? The big playboy has happily settled down."

Logan groaned. "Enough. It's enough. I knew I should have taken this vacation without you!" She recognized that voice; Logan was sick and tired of them. He would be joining her any second, needing an escape from his friends. As she projected, a few moments later Logan appeared at the bottom of the staircase, an annoyed look at his face and a cup of coffee in his each of hands. "UP!" He mouthed to her. "Get upstairs before they come after me and realize you're awake!" Taking his advice seriously, Rory hurried upstairs happy that the entire place was carpeted and no one could hear her footsteps. Logan entered behind her and closed the door quietly, not wanting anyone to think he would slam the door to the room in which his girlfriend was sleeping. "My friends are annoying!" He announced, setting one mug on the nightstand and another in Rory's waiting hands before moving onto the bed next to her.

Knowing that, at least for this moment, they were safe in their room, Rory let her laughter out. "You are all hilarious, do you know that?"

"Sure Ace, get pleasure out of my pain. I'll just go back downstairs and tell them that you're awake now. This way I can watch them bug you about whether or not we had sex last night and how good it was." Logan made a move to get off the bed and Rory pulled him back to her.

"Oh no, I think that's okay. You did such a good job putting them off I think you need to be rewarded."

"Rewarded huh?" Logan wagged his eyebrows at her and Rory couldn't contain her laughter. "What are you laughing at?" He teased, making a grab for her once she set the empty coffee mug on her nightstand.

"Nothing." She grinned up at him as he leered at her.

"Nothing? It better be nothing." Logan growled before swooping down and attacking her neck with his mouth. He would be sure to leave another mark or two to match the love bites leftover from last night's romp.

"Mmmm," Rory let out a soft moan as Logan continued to kiss and suck her neck. She knew last night's activities had left marks on her neck and it looked like Logan wanted to continue to mark his territory. Not that Rory minded, it felt damn good as he was doing it. Slowly he moved his kisses south until he was concentrating on the area of her neck that Logan knew drove her crazy. They continued their make out session for quite some time before a loud banging on the door interrupted them.

"Mate! Love!" Finn's voice broke through their haze and Rory groaned.

"Go away Finn!" Normally she wasn't so outspoken but this was not a point that she wanted to be interrupted at.

"Now I enjoy naughty things as much as the next person love, but…"

"I don't care about the next part of that sentence, just go away!" Rory cut him off and smiled up at Logan. He was basically laying on top of her, his bare chest pressed into hers and their bare legs entwined. Logan had been about to remove her panties when Finn interrupted them.

"But love, don't you want to go back to the beach one last time before finals?" The big Australian just didn't seem to be getting the hint.

"No Finn! I don't want to go back to the beach one more time before I leave! What I would like is for Logan to continue removing my clothing like he was before you knocked on the door. Now go to the beach and leave us alone!"

"Meow! Saucer of milk, table one!" Finn replied. "Fine! If you'd rather mess around with Logan then hang out with us then fine. We're going!"

"Now if Finn thought I would really change my mind with his childish tactics he really doesn't know me," she told Logan, her lips just barely touching him.

"The big lug probably didn't realize that you were much more interested in my hand between your legs then sitting on the beach with everyone else." He moved his hands experimentally, encouraged by her response (and happy Finn didn't ruin the moment) Logan let his hands move under the waistband of her panties and pulled them down quickly. Just as quickly his hands moved back to her body, one in-between her legs, feeling her wetness, the other to her face keeping their eyes locked. Logan smiled as he saw her emotions reflected on her face as his fingers continued to tease her. Her pupils dilated and her lids were half closed, Logan knew she was close. But this time wouldn't be the same as the others. This time he would allow her to orgasm ensuring that what was to come would be even better. Logan couldn't hide the shock in his eyes as she came down from her high and instantly reached for the waistband of his boxers. Before he could make a move she had slid them down his body and pulled them off.

"You sure recovered quickly," he remarked, speaking softly.

She grinned shyly at him. It was something that amazed him, how shy she could be after sharing something so intimate with him. Rory had no words, as she really hadn't recovered but she knew she needed, no _wanted_, to return the favor. He had made her feel remarkable and knew he deserved that same feeling from her. As she maneuvered them so she was on top Rory caught her breath and began kissing Logan from the top of one head to the top of another. Before he could respond in any fashion Rory engulfed Logan's penis in her mouth. By the quick jerk of Logan's body Rory knew he hadn't been expecting her to do that and it made her smile (as best she could). She liked being a little unpredictable in bed, particularly since she hadn't had as much experience as he had. Rory continued to go down on him and prepared herself when she felt his body tense, knowing that he was close. Before anything could happen Logan pushed her away from his body, a smile on his face to let her know that everything was okay. "I don't want to cum that way," he told her softly.

Rory had no time to respond before he flipped her over and reached to the nightstand for a condom. He managed to open the package and roll it on himself with one hand, the other one continuously touching Rory's body. He turned his full attention on her and smiled. "Are you sure?" They had been dating for a while, and they had certainly had some fun in bed, but Rory had managed to keep him interested without having sex with him. This would be their first time and he wanted to be sure that she wanted it as badly as he did.

"I'm sure." She pushed herself up and kissed him deeply. Logan quickly returned the kiss and placed his hand back between her legs to make sure she was ready for him before allowing himself to plunge into her warm, wet body.

Although Rory wasn't a virgin, this was nothing like she had felt before. There was a connection she hadn't felt with any other boyfriend. They continued to move together and Rory felt herself getting close to another orgasm but willed her body to hold on until Logan was there as well. Sex always seemed to be better when you could both reach your orgasm at the same time. All of the sudden Rory's mind was brought into the present as she felt Logan's fingers reach between their bodies and gently, at first, touch her clit. His fingers touched her a little bit rougher the next time until she could no longer hold back her orgasm. As she felt her body give way to the powerful feelings Logan was causing Rory noted that he reached his orgasm as well.

A few minutes later when Rory felt her body go back into its natural rhythm she noticed that Logan had moved off the bed but before she contemplate where he was Logan reappeared in the bed next to her. She felt him wrap his arms around her still sweaty body and she moaned. "Feeling okay Ace?"

Moving her head so she could look into his eyes Rory smiled. "Better than okay." She leaned closer and attached her lips to his. Rory took control of their situation this time as she swung her left leg over her body, allowing her naked body to straddle Logan's hips. Logan moaned as he felt her wetness against his abs as she moved her hips. He reached up to cup her breasts in his hands, wanting to stop their tantalizing swaying in front of his face. She moaned as she continued to grind against his body and his lips started to kiss her breasts, working in small circles until he reached her right nipple and caught it between his teeth. He gently bit down on the hard nub before sucking it deeply within his mouth. They stayed in this position for a while before Rory became impatient for something _more_ and glanced towards the nightstand in hopes of another condom. Grinning when she saw what she was looking for Rory grabbed the package and ripped it open, rolling the latex down Logan's rock hard dick before impaling it in one movement. Logan had been so caught up in Rory's breasts he hadn't taken in her movements so the feeling of her wetness fully taking in his cock again made his body jump. Rory laughed as she started to ride him, driving them towards their climax again.

As Rory came down from her high her body slumped down against Logan's, not caring how sweaty they both were. In this position, however, she missed the grin on Logan's face. He let them both relax for a several moments before gently moving her off his body, allowing them to separate, smiling as she moaned in protest. "Shh, I'll be right back Ace." He quickly moved into the bathroom, disposing of the used condom before starting the bath. Making sure the water was warm enough Logan added in the bubbles and moved back into the bedroom. He gathered Rory into his arms, smiling as she curled closer to him and gently placing her into the tub. The moan she made when he placed her into the water turned into a purr as he joined her. "You better stop making those noises Ace, or we'll have round three right here in the tub."

"I've never done it in a shower before," she answered him. "Or in a tub for that matter."

Logan groaned, loud and long. "Don't tease me Ace."

"Who said I'm teasing?" She reached between them and gently took his cock in her hand, stoking it slowly, as if she was willing it to come back to life.

"You're just bad news, aren't you?" He reached over, thankful that he always kept condoms in his shaving kit, pulling one out and unwrapping it on his now hardened length. Logan entered her from behind, this time making their coupling slow and languid instead of rushed and fierce, as it had been in their bed.

The rest of the afternoon passed in the same fashion. As their bodies reached another peak Logan noticed the sun was beginning to fade and realized they needed to stop. Not only because they had just used his last condom, but their friends would be coming back from the beach and would insist they leave the room and spend their last night out. "Ace," Logan said softly, running a hand down her sweaty back.

"Mmm?" She was too tired to form too many words.

"We need to get up and showered and dressed."

"No, sleep good," she insisted.

"I know, but our friends aren't going to let us miss dinner and drinking in our last night in California. So let's shower and get ready before they knock down the door, okay?"

She groaned in protest. "Separate showers."

"What?" Logan was surprised by that answer. They had taken another shower a few hours ago but that too ended up in another steamy round of shower sex.

"We never seem to be able to just shower in the bathroom. So separate showers if we're seeing our friends tonight. Besides, no glove, no love." She smiled at him as she forced her body away from his and towards the bathroom.

Logan grinned as she walked towards the bathroom, completely uncaring that she was naked. He continued to lay in bed, completely relaxed as he listened to the shower run. He almost swore that he heard Rory humming over the pounding of the water. Several minutes later she appeared in the bathroom door covered only by a towel and looked simply amazing.

"I don't think so," she said quickly, holding out a hand as if that alone would stop him from pouncing. "I finally got out of the shower and it's your turn to get in. I'm not going down there without you, your friends will eat me alive."

"My friends? I thought they were our friends."

She shook her head. "They won't be our friends until they stop making fun of us for spending the entire day in bed."

Logan laughed as he got out of bed, uncaring that he was naked. "I hate to break it to you then Ace but if that's the case you won't be friends with them for a long time. If nothing else Finn will never let you forget today."

"I didn't say I wanted to forget today," she replied with a smirk as his naked body got closer to hers. "I just said that I didn't want your friends constantly making fun of us."

"They're just jealous. Now get dressed, I won't be long." Logan leaned down and kissed the spot on Rory's neck that drove her crazy before heading into the bathroom himself. While Logan got ready Rory decided to be brave and go downstairs, see their friends and hope that the mocking would be kept down to a minimum.

"Look at who walked into the room guys, do you remember her? She looks vaguely familiar but…"

"Very funny Colin," Rory answered in a dry voice.

"Nice of you to grace us with your presence today Rory, really." Steph smiled at her. "Hope you enjoyed your day in bed."

"I did," she said with a swift nod. "Logan kept me quite satisfied."

"Oh did he?" Rosemary asked, eyebrows raised. She didn't think Rory would say anything about her afternoon locked away with Logan except furiously blush.

"Yup." She smiled at the group as she took a seat on one of the counters, happily munching away at the Red Vines that were still there.

"Interesting." Steph stared at her, making her nervous but Rory tried to ignore it.

"At least you don't sound as frustrated as you did this morning love," Finn added in.

"Yes, will you were interrupting at a very crucial time Finn. I really didn't appreciate it."

"You made that quite clear love. I believe you mentioned something about Logan removing your clothing."

"Well it is an important step in the whole process. Has it been that long that you've forgotten?" She teased, not knowing where this courage was coming from.

"Ohhh, burn!" Rosemary shouted causing Finn to glare at her.

"What's going on down here?" Logan joined them in the kitchen, moving to sit down at the island where Colin and Finn were.

"Your girl is making fun of my sex life," Finn told him with a pout.

"Actually it was the lack of sex life she was pointing out," Steph intervened.

Logan looked at Rory with raised eyebrows but she shrugged, an impish smile on her face. "You're really up to no good today, are you Ace?"

"Has she been a naughty girl?" Finn asked, forgetting the previous discussion. "Are you going to punish her?"

"Ew, Finn! Too far, you just went too far!"

He shrugged. "Now that we're all assembled are we ready for dinner and drinking?"

"I am starved," Rory admitted. "Let's go."

"Well you did expend quite a bit of energy today Ace, you should be hungry."

"So are you going to feed me?"

"I know better than to let a Gilmore girl go hungry for an extended period of time. Let's get moving folks."

**GGGGGGGG**

"Why did we have to leave the beach again?" Steph whined as they began their decent back into Hartford.

"Um because some of us actually need to study for finals," Rory reminded her from her spot curled up next to Logan.

Steph rolled her eyes. "We all need to study Gilmore, you just like to study weeks before the actual exam."

"That's how most normal people study. So they don't have to cram right before the exam, you know, like you guys do."

"Whatever. We pass, and that's what counts."

"What can I say? I like to go above and beyond what's expected," she replied. Deciding the conversation should end there, Rory picked out a book from her bag and began reading. She didn't particularly like the implications her friend had made towards her study habits.

Logan watched as Rory and Steph exchanged their words, noting the catty tone they took and wondered if this was a typical girl thing. Usually they ignored whatever happened with the girls since it didn't affect them too much but now anything involving Rory would certainly affect them. Happy to see they were in their separate corners for now Logan looked down to see Rory was reading Jane Austen…again. "I'm going to have to get you a new copy soon, won't I?" He teased her.

Rory finished the sentence of her well-worn book before looking up at her boyfriend. "Well this is my third copy," she informed him.

"You really are strange, you know that?"

"Thank you." She grinned up at him.

"Will I be seeing you at all these next couple of weeks? Without having to hunt you down, that is?" The concern in his voice was evident. Rory tried to do everything without thinking of the consequences to her body.

"Don't worry, I come up for air." She smiled at him.

"Good to know, since you didn't last week and all."

"I'm not going to be at the paper right before finals. I already told your father that. It's too much."

"Oh really? How did he take that?" Mitchum wasn't known for his willingness to bend to the schedule of others.

She shrugged. "He seemed okay. Said he was impressed that I was that dedicated to my studies. Told me to start work again once the semester started."

"Interesting."

"What?"

"Nothing. I'm just glad he's better to you then to me."

She smiled sadly at him. "I don't understand your father, at all."

"That's okay Ace, none of us do." He smiled at her before turning towards Colin who was calling his name. They would be back at school, and the 'real world' soon enough. For now he was going to enjoy his time with his friends.


	26. Are You Serious?

**AN:** I'll warn you now, I don't like the ending of the chapter. But I'm ready to start the next one. You'll understand why once you read this. Hope you enjoy, let me know your thoughts!

**GGGGGGGG**

**Chapter 26: Are You Serious?**

Slamming her dorm room door behind her, Rory dropped her bag on the floor and moved to collapse on the couch. She had just finished her last final of her first semester freshman year of college and she was exhausted. Rory had tried to keep her promise to Logan by not hibernating immediately after coming back from their mini-vacation with their friends but as finals got closer she couldn't help it. Her life became late nights at the library and sessions with her study groups. One of those groups even included Colin and Rosemary. That final had been yesterday and everyone was excited once it was over. Groaning as the phone rang, Rory blindly reached into her bag to stop the device.

"Yeah?" She had checked the caller ID real fast to make sure it wasn't her grandmother calling.

"How'd it go Ace?"

"Well, it's over," she said with a heavy sigh.

"I'm sure you passed with flying colors. And now that you have you're ready to come hang out with everyone at the pub. We all finished yesterday."

"Why don't you rub it in a little bit more?" She asked in a teasing manner.

Logan laughed. "I know you're de-stressing but come do so at the pub. Drinks on Finn!"

Rory smiled in response. "Give me a couple of minutes, I'll be there."

"Great." Logan hung up the phone with a smile on his face. He was excited to get some time with his girlfriend that didn't consist of sleep. She had been stressed out this past week and he was happy that not only was the semester over but they would have three weeks without having to worry about school.

"Rory's on her way?" Rosemary asked. She couldn't hear Logan's conversation from across the table but the smile on his face told her everything she needed to know.

He nodded. "She just finished her last final."

"What are you doing for Christmas this year?" Colin asked him. Usually the three of them got together with Honor, Logan's sister, and celebrated themselves. The girls actually spent time with their families but due to international boarding schools the guys weren't used to spending this time of year with their families.

"I don't know. Honor is going somewhere with her latest boyfriend, Josh, so it's just me. What were you guys thinking?" Although he didn't spent the holidays with his parents, the guys were the closest thing to family he had besides Honor. Logan actually enjoyed their untraditional but traditional holiday fun.

"Finn's parents are going to be away this year. We thought of holding festivities there."

"Perfect."

"What's perfect?" Rory asked, beer in hand, as she took the empty seat next to Logan.

"Just firming up our holiday plans," Colin filled her in.

"My house this year, right?" Finn asked, sitting down on Rory's other side.

The guys nodded. "Wait, you guys spend the holidays together? What about your families?"

"Well usually my sister, Honor, joins us," Logan informed her, "but she's off vacationing with her boyfriend this year. So it's just going to be us guys. As far as our parents they are too busy with other things to worry about Christmas. As long as someone goes out and buys the perfect gift for them to give us all is well in their world."

"I see."

"Don't worry about it Ace," he kissed the top of her head, "we're used to it. And there's always one party during the season that they make us attend. Anyone have an idea of what it is this year?" The guys shook their heads but Steph turned to them with apologetic features.

"Sorry guys, apparently it's my parents turn this year. They're doing something for New Year's."

"Really?" The three of them groaned and even Rosemary looked disappointed.

"Sorry. I didn't know until last week. They'll be gone until the 29th and then the party is actually on New Year's Eve."

Rory watched them all in fascination, saddened by their lack of excitement over the holidays. As she started thinking about the Stars Hollow activities her phone rang. Smiling at the ring tone she picked up the device and answered, "You have reached Santa's hot line, to talk to the head toy elf please press one, to inquire about the naughty or nice list please press two, to get the approximate time Santa will be falling down your chimney press three, for all other requests please stay on the line."

"What was that about a naughty or nice list?" Lorelai asked.

Rory laughed. "Well, have you been a good little girl this year?"

"Depends on who you ask," she answered coyly.

"We usually go by the opinion of the parents," Rory replied in her most serious tone.

"Well I'm shit out of luck then!" Lorelai exclaimed.

Rory laughed even harder. "What's up mom?"

"Nothing, can't a mother just call her daughter?"

"Only if it's you calling me."

"Right. I taught you well."

"What can I do for you?"

"When are you coming home?" Lorelai asked.

"Aw, do you miss me?"

"No, not really, we're just really booked at the Inn and I could use an extra set of hands in exchange for room, board and free laundry."

"I see. Well, I'll be home tomorrow night."

"Are you sure about that?"

"Why wouldn't I be sure?" Rory asked.

"No reason. So Kirk was running around town naked today."

"Any particular reason or was he just preparing for next week?"

"Next week I think. Although one can never be sure."

"Right. You have all the decorations ready?"

"Check."

"Everything for cookies? Sookie's making extra?"

"Check!"

"The hippo is ready?"

"Check!"

"Anything else you care to tell me?" Rory asked.

"You know, don't you!"

"You act like we don't go through this every year mom."

"I just try and forget it's going to happen every year."

"I know, but that doesn't change the fact that it's going to happen."

"Do we have to go?'

"Do you want to spend New Year's with Grandma?"

"Good point. At least the apple tarts are good."

"See. Something to look forward to."

"One thing out of four hours kid. Gotta tell you, it's not looking good."

"Well there is alcohol and I can drive home."

"Now you're talking!"

Rory laughed and looked around the table. "Hey Mom, I gotta go, we're at the pub celebrating the end of finals. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

"Sounds good kid. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Oh and mom?"

"Yeah kid?"

"Would it be a big deal if there were a few extra this year?"

Lorelai smiled. She had a feeling the newest of Rory's friends wouldn't have any family to spend the holidays with. "Of course not. I'll have Sookie bake extra extras."

"Thanks mom."

"What was that all about?" Colin asked once Rory was off the phone.

"That was my mom. How about you guys spend Christmas in The Hollow? We have a town festival, Kirk will be naked, mom and I bake cookies. You'll love it."

"You bake doll?" They were all well aware that the Gilmore girls should not be left in the kitchen to cook anything other than pop tarts and coffee.

Rory laughed. "Yes. We have Sookie bring us bunches of extra cookies and get Fran to give us all kinds of icing and sprinkles and we bake!" She was proud of their baking. Their cookies were always the best to eat.

"As long as you're not the ones actually baking the cookies, I'm in," Finn said with a grin. "It sounds like fun, this hometown of yours."

"Oh it is, you'll fit right in Finny."

"Well it sounds like we'll be there Ace," Logan said after confirming with Colin. "After all we can't let Finn run around your town without backup."

"Trust me, after dealing with Kirk all these years there's nothing the people of Stars Hollow haven't seen!" She smiled and they all continued laughing and enjoying the end of the semester.

**GGGGGGGGGG**

Rory had been home for three days and was enjoying Stars Hollow and the peace and quiet it offered. She was excited for the boys to join her and her mom for Christmas this year. They would join them on Christmas Eve after dinner with the Gilmores in Hartford. They were goofing off and procrastinating getting ready for the Christmas Eve festivities when the phone rang.

"You're closer!" Lorelai shouted.

"No fair, I got it last time!" She pouted not wanting to speak to whomever was calling.

"I'm older and I'm the mother, so you have to do what I say!" Lorelai declared.

"You do realize that I'm 18 now, right? I don't _have_ to listen to you. I'm legal, I'm an adult."

"Well if you want your mommy to buy you liquor you do," she argued.

Rory laughed. "I can have Finn work that part out for me if need me."

"I'm shocked! The horror! The horror! My baby doesn't need me anymore!" Lorelai pretended to faint on the couch forcing Rory to answer the phone.

"Hello?"

"_That's_ how you answer the phone? Have I taught you _nothing_?"

"You made me answer the phone and this is how I chose to do so. Like a normal person, if you even have any idea what that is," she muttered the last part under her breath but knew her mother heard her.

"Hello? Is anyone there?" A woman's voice brought Rory back the present.

"Sorry about that. Hi, who is this?"

"Is this Rory?" The woman asked.

"Yes, do you mind telling me who you were?" It was a good thing Emily wasn't present or else Rory knew she would be in for it.

"Rory, this is your grandmother," the voice told her.

"Grandma? It doesn't sound like you, are you okay?" Rory was confused now.

"No dear, not Emily. This is Francine, your father's mother."

Rory was stunned. Completely speechless. She'd never had a conversation with her paternal grandparents. They had met once a few years back and it hadn't been pretty. Since then she'd managed to stay away from them; it was an easy task considering their mutual dislike for each other.

"Rory? Is everything okay?" Lorelai called out from the other room upon hearing her daughter's silence. "Are my parents okay? Please tell me that they're canceling dinner."

"Um, mom. It's not Grandma."

"Didn't you say it was Grandma?"

"That's what I thought, however…"

"Lorelai you're being rather rude," Francine's voice came through the phone.

"Excuse me if I don't know how to deal with you Francine. You haven't exactly shown me love and kindness through the years. I can't imagine why you're calling me now."

"Francine? What?" Lorelai was instantly off the couch and reaching for the phone in Rory's hand but Rory wouldn't give it up.

"I apologize for the past but really, can't we let bygones be bygones?" Rory snorted. "That's a rather unladylike sound."

"Who said I was a lady?"

"Emily and everyone else who has ever met you," Francine countered.

"I don't really have time for this chat. Is there something I can do for you?"

"Your grandfather and I would like to have dinner with you."

"And you chose Christmas Eve to issue such an invitation?"

Francine sighed. "It may not be the best time, but in the spirit of the holidays and the New Year we thought we could arrange a meeting."

"Oh, um, well, I'm not sure." Rory was completely off guard. She didn't know what was going on or what to expect.

"Please Lorelai? It would mean a lot to both of us. I'm sure your father would appreciate it as well. We've missed out on so much…"

Still unsure of what to say, Rory paused and eventually gave in. "I won't be able to make a commitment until after the New Year. Once classes start and I get my syllabi I may be able to arrange something."

"That's perfect! Thank you, truly. I'll speak to you in a few weeks then, set up a firm date and time. You really have made this a special Christmas, for both me and your grandfather."

Rory nodded. "Well, I must be going now. Grandma and Grandpa are expecting us and will take no excuse for our being late on Christmas Eve."

"I understand. Merry Christmas Lorelai."

"Merry Christmas." Rory hung up the phone and turned to stare at her mother.

"What did she want?" Lorelai asked immediately.

"They want to have dinner with me. You heard, I managed to put it off until after school starts but still. This is weird. They've never wanted anything to do with me before. Why now?

"Maybe you need to be drinking more tonight then me?" Lorelai joked as she pushed Rory out the door and towards the car.

"No, that's okay. I'm just shocked. I mean, I've only met them once that I can remember and they weren't very nice to me. Or you. I wonder what they want. Do you think they're dying?" Rory looked at her mother as they started their drive to Hartford.

"I don't know kid, but I think if that was the case your dad would have said something to us."

"Right, you're right. I'm just confused."

"Understandable. But let's not tell my parents about it, okay? The Hayden's are a sore subject around this house."

"Yet they're always pushing you and dad together," Rory said pointing out the irony.

Lorelai laughed. "They like Christopher and everything he tried to do when I got pregnant. They just don't like how his parents handled everything."

"Right, let's just get tonight over with as quickly as possible."

"You wanna fake sick?" Lorelai asked, ready to play whatever game her daughter suggested.

"No, we have to stay through dessert. But maybe they'll be ready to sit down to dinner when we get there, we are running late."

"Fat chance." Lorelai pulled into the driveway and the girls got out and rang the bell. Lorelai was worried about her quiet daughter and Rory was just looking forward to later this evening when Logan would be around. He was a slightly more objective voice when it came to her paternal grandparents, although he didn't know exactly who they were (somehow having not put the connection between the story of her parents and who her father actually was) he understood the animosity. If nothing else the boys would be there to cheer her up a little bit more.

"Lorelai! Rory! Merry Christmas!" Emily greeted them as they made their way into the living room.

"Hi Grandma, Merry Christmas."

"Hi Mom."

They both greeted Emily and noticed that Richard seemed to be involved in a deep conversation with some of the other men in attendance.

"What can I get you girls to drink?" Emily asked and immediately set forth to get them drinks.

"It's going to be a long night," Lorelai mumbled to Rory as her mother walked away.

"Are you surprised?"

"Rory! Lorelai! When did you get here?" Richard approached with a smile.

"Just a minute or so Grandpa, Merry Christmas. You seem to be having a good time." Rory kissed her grandfather's cheek, truly happy to see him.

"Oh you know how these things are. Alan thinks that he knows all about the insurance business…" Richard began his tirade and Rory was happy to let him go on.

**GGGGGG**

"Rory! Your friends are here!" Lorelai called out from the living room where she was looking out the front window.

They had gotten home ten minutes ago from a very long and very boring dinner with their parents. Rory was trying to be polite but she was off in her own thoughts (not that Lorelai blamed her) and was not good company. She had been waiting for Logan knowing that he would be the most objective opinion about her current situation. He didn't know who her father's parents were (somehow he never made the connection between the famous story of Lorelai running away and what her father's last name is) and that made it slightly easier to talk about. Rory got up from her bed, where she had been since they got back home and went to the door to greet everyone.

"Love!"

"Merry Christmas Finny!" He grimaced at the name but Rory knew he loved it. Giving her a big hug, he scooped her off the porch. "You okay?"

"Long day, you know how dinner with the grandparents can be."

"Ah, completely understandable. I came prepared love, suitcase full of liquor to help us survive."

"You're a sweet one," Rory said with a laugh as he put her down and went searching for her mother.

"Hey Rory, Merry Christmas," Colin greeted her with a smile and a hug.

"Hey Colin, thanks for coming," she said sincerely as she hugged him tight. It made her happy to know that she would be able to share a real Christmas with the three of them. Although they'd always had each other and that meant more than blood, she was sure of that.

"Anytime, thanks for having us." He sensed she was slightly off and moved off the porch towards the house to greet Lorelai and make sure Finn wasn't driving her crazy yet. He had come prepared for Rory to be frustrated with her grandparents and Colin wasn't sure how Lorelai would take it.

"Hey Ace, how are you?" Logan greeted with a smirk. He was leaning against the side of the porch watching her greet his best friends, his family. They may not be blood, but right now, tonight, he and Rory may as well be mixing each other's families. The only one missing was Honor and she and Josh would join them for New Year's. She was dying to meet Rory.

Rory smiled at her boyfriend, his relaxed pose, obviously enjoying her greeting their friends. Slowly she made her way over to him and practically fell into his arms. Logan was slightly surprised at her greeting, wondering what had happened at her grandparents dinner. "Everything okay Ace?"

She nodded against his chest, even though everything was certainly not okay. "It's been a rough day."

"Dinner with Richard and Emily go badly?"

"I don't think so. I was a little preoccupied during most of it. They must have thought something was seriously wrong."

"Ace?" Logan pulled back slightly so he could look at her face. "What happened?" Although he knew she didn't want to spend time with her family she usually enjoyed being with them for part of the holiday.

"My dad's parents called before we left," she told him. Automatically Logan was concerned and hugged her close. He didn't know much about her paternal grandparents, he only knew they the one time Rory had met them it hadn't turned out well.

"What did they want?"

"They want to meet me for dinner one night. I put them off until after the New Year." As if she was coming out of a trance Rory shook her head and looked up at Logan. She kissed him swiftly and smiled. "Let's not think about them right now, okay? It's Christmas and you and the boys are here to celebrate with me and Mom. Let's concentrate on that right now."

He studied her closely and decided these people definitely weren't worth ruining Christmas over. "You got it Ace. Let's get inside and make sure everyone is still living."

**GGGGGG**

Christmas had been fantastic. Colin and Finn had camped out in the living room, Finn having fun making a fort out of the couch and some sheets while Colin chose a sleeping bag and some blankets on the floor. Logan had slept in her room with her, and although he was slightly weirded out because her mother was in the house he didn't complain. He enjoyed sleeping with Rory in any capacity.

Christmas day had arrived with lots of fanfare. There were presents under the fully decorated tree. Lorelai had purchased things for each of the guys and they had all included presents for Lorelai as well. After presents, there was breakfast at Luke's followed by baking their own cookies and eating most of them before heading off to the town festival. Strangely enough Finn was slightly horrified by Kirk though Colin and Logan said there were some similarities between them.

The boys departed from Stars Hollow (leaving behind a very disappointed Miss Patty and Babette) the day after Christmas with promises of fun to come on New Years. Although they were all going to a party at Stephanie's parent's house (Rory was going as Logan's date) there were promises of a fantastic sub-party as soon as possible. Rory was actually looking forward to it.

Logan picked her up on New Year's Eve, stepping out of the limo in a sharp tuxedo. "Looking good Sugar, you here for Rory?" Babette shouted from her porch as he got out of the car.

"Thanks Babette!" Logan answered her. "You know, if I wasn't so afraid of Morey I would ditch Rory and take you with me tonight!"

Babette giggled like a little schoolgirl. "You're such a sweet talker, no wonder Rory likes you so much!"

Logan smiled and waved as he walked up the porch and rang the bell. Lorelai answered a moment later and smiled, "so you want to ditch my daughter, do you?"

"I didn't want you two to find out this way, I'm sorry. But there's something about that Babette, she's simply…breathtaking." Logan grinned as he tried to keep a straight face for Lorelai's game.

"Good thing Morey could knock you over in a heartbeat kid."

He nodded. "I'll just have to deal with my lot, now won't I? Not that it's a bad one, mind you."

Lorelai grinned. "Nice save. I think she's just about ready. You two are spending the night in Hartford?"

"Yup. Stephanie cleared it with her parents for all of us to stay in the guest house."

"Okay, well have fun. Be safe. Don't get too crazy. If you need anything you know who to call, but don't need anything, okay?"

"You're the coolest parent I know, you know that Lorelai?"

"I've been told that before," she said with a grin. "Kid? You ready? Logan's waiting." Lorelai called out to her daughter.

"Coming!" Rory rushed out from her room, purse under one arm and small bag on her shoulder.

"I got that Ace." Ever the gentleman Logan stepped forward and took the bag from her shoulder. Stepping back he took in her ensemble and smiled. "You look fantastic."

"Thank you. You clean up well yourself." She smiled and leaned forward to kiss him.

"Alright you two, get out."

"Good night mom, Happy New Year."

"Happy New Year kid."

They arrived at Stephanie's parent's house a short time later. "It won't be as bad as you think it is," Rory said with a smile.

"All of our parents are going to be there Ace, it's going to be bad."

Rory nodded, "well let's just get it over with. Sub party soon." She felt Logan take a deep breath before opening the door and heading into what he hoped would turn into an enjoyable New Year.


	27. What A Time We Had

**Chapter 27:** **What A Time We Had**

"You are way too excited about the first day of school," Steph grumbled as Rory joined everyone at the table for lunch.

"You just don't get it," Rory replied with a grin.

"Classes are just a waste of time, why do we go again?" Finn moaned.

"It's not like you actually attend Finn," Colin pointed out. "Some of us do have to go on to other things besides partying once we graduate."

"You're planning on graduating mate?"

Everyone groaned and just as Rory was about to comment her cell phone rang. "Hello?"

"Hello Lorelai, how is your first day back?"

Rory paused, surprised at the voice at the other end. She had pushed their Christmas conversation out of her head and concentrated on spending time with her mom, Lane and her new college friends. "Lorelai? Are you there? You're being quite rude."

"Sorry. What can I do for you grandmother?"

Francine sighed. Lorelai's rude behavior had obviously been passed on to her daughter. "Did you enjoy your winter break? What did you do for Christmas?"

"Mom and I spent the holiday with Grandma and Grandpa and then celebrated with our friends at home."

"Oh yes, that little town you live in."

Rory rolled her eyes. Her father's parents had never been to Stars Hollow and she hoped they would never find reason to visit. "We enjoy it and all its eccentricities."

"I'm sure you do."

Rory took a deep breath and tried to hold herself together. She knew that all of her fiends were watching and waiting for an explanation. "Is there a particular reason for this phone call?"

Again, Francine sighed. It appeared her granddaughter was not going to make this easy. "As I mentioned the last time we spoke, your grandfather and I would like to schedule lunch with you one afternoon."

"Right."

"What day would work for you?"

This time it was Rory who sighed. She knew scheduling the lunch would be easiest that way she could meet these people and then never have to speak with them again. They must be getting a guilty conscious with their old age. "How about next Saturda?" A mental calculation told her there was nothing planned, she could spend the day with her mom prepping and then come straight back to Yale after what was sure to be a disastrous lunch for an evening of drinking with her friends.

"That sounds lovely. Why don't we meet at the club around 12:30? I know you've been there before with Richard."

She nodded. "I'll see you then. Goodbye." Rory hung up the phone and looked at her friends. "See? I have ridiculous obligations just like you."

"Want us to come along?" Logan offered, knowing that having his friends close by always made tense situations better.

"You're so sweet." Rory leaned over and kissed his cheek. "But I think this lunch requires the big guns." Ignoring the perplexed look of her friends, Rory scrolled through her phone book, selected a number and waited for the person to pick up.

"To what do I owe this call my darling daughter?"

She smiled. As much as Rory didn't always get along with her dad, he was still her father and she loved him. "Your parents roped me into lunch next Saturday. You know I cannot bring mom so you are nominated to make sure murder is not committed by either party."

"I don't think they'd murder you Ror."

"You'd be surprised. I don't think I've heard anyone sigh as much as your mother did on our last phone call."

"Does that mean she's going to call and yell at me because you weren't raised better? I swear, sometimes I think she wishes I would have knocked up a 'proper society girl' instead of your mother."

Rory laughed. "Thanks Daddy. I needed that."

"Anytime dear. I'll meet you at the club next Saturday."

"I'll be the one with the rhinestone penis on my shirt!"

"Lorelai Leigh! My parents do not have the same sense of humor as Emily and Richard, please refrain from wearing your mother's shirt."

"Grandma and Grandpa have a sense of humor? Alright, so Grandpa yes, but Grandma? Are we talking about the same woman?"

"You get more and more like your mother every day."

"Thank you! I love you Daddy!"

"Love you too Rory." She hung up the phone and smiled. "Missed accomplished. Now where were we? Yes. The first day of school. New notebooks, new highlighters, new pens. Is there anything better?"

"Your girlfriend is high on something Huntz," Finn said with a shake of his head.

"Tell me about it. I've been begging her to share, but she's being selfish."

"It's the highlighters, isn't it?" Colin asked with a straight face. "You're sniffing the highlighters to make it through the day?"

"Nope. You're wrong there." And with that Rory proceeded to pull a Sharpie out of her bag, uncap it and take a big whiff. "Sharpie's are much better."

The table sat in utter silence until Finn broke out in hysterics and everyone followed suit.

**GGGGGGG**

"Are you sure you don't want me to come along?" Lorelai asked as they ate breakfast at Luke's the following Saturday.

"I appreciate the offer mom, but having you there will only make things worse."

"I'm offended by that." Lorelai responded with a huff.

"Stop mom. I don't want to be there with them, but I don't want to cause a scene. As much as I love you, putting you in a room with Francine and Straub is never a good idea. Besides, I told you that Dad was going to meet me there. I won't be totally alone. And he won't let his parents walk all over me."

Lorelai sighed. She was not okay with this meeting, but as Rory was now 18 she couldn't enforce a legal guardian mandate and Christopher would be there too. He might not be able to stand up to his parents for himself, but he would never let them attack Rory. "Fine, but if you need me just call. I'll come and save you."

"Thanks Mighty Mouse."

Three hours later found Rory sitting in her car in front of the club watching the men at the valet glare at her. She had been there for 15 minutes but had refused to move forward or get out of the car. This was certainly not something they were used to. But Rory was nervous. She may have put up a brave front with her mom but she had no idea why her grandparents would want to meet with her. They had no interest in her up to this point and didn't even recognize her publicly. A knock on her window brought her out of her thoughts. Startled, Rory looked up to see her Dad. "You okay kid?" Chris asked as she rolled down the window.

"Any idea why two people who have hated me since the day I was conceived want to spend some quality time with me?"

Chris sighed. He hated that Rory thought his parents hated her. He knew for a fact they didn't, but their dislike for Lorelai and specifically how his relationship with Lorelai had played out had been transferred to their granddaughter. "They don't hate you kid, they just don't like things happening that they can't control."

"I know. Get in." Once he was in the car, Rory put the vehicle in drive and moved forward towards the valet stand. "Let's get this afternoon in hell over with." She handed her keys over and walked inside with her father.

"Lorelai! Christopher! What a lovely surprise. We weren't expecting you." Francine and Straub both rose as the pair joined them.

"I hope you don't mind the addition to lunch but I spoke with Rory and she mentioned this get together. I thought it would be nice for all four of us to spend some time together." He knew his parents would see through the lie but they would not make a scene in public.

"Of course. How's Yale going Lorelai?" Straub asked once they were seated again.

"Just fine thank you. I am enjoying my classes."

"You're a journalism major, are you not?" Her grandmother questioned. Rory wasn't surprised that they would know the details of her life.

"I am," she said with a nod. "I want to be an overseas correspondent."

"An admirable goal."

She nodded, noting the approval she picked up in his voice with surprise. They took a pause from awkward conversation to place drink orders and have idle chit-chat about the menu. Rory wished she could have ordered something a little stronger but knew her parents wouldn't agree. "Don't worry, your boy will have something stronger waiting for you." Rory grinned at her father's reassurance and was comforted. Knowing Finn, there would be an entire bar's worth of alcohol for her to choose form once she got back to school.

"I hear you've been dating Logan Huntzberger," Francine mentioned as nonchalantly as possible.

"Yes. We met at school last semester and hit it off. I'm surprised to say the least."

"Why is that?"

"Oh, we're just two different people is all. He seems like a spoiled playboy, which is not all that appealing but there's something more to him."

"Society isn't as bad as you think, hm?"

Rory laughed. "I wouldn't go that far. Just because there's something more to Logan doesn't mean it's that way for every one. I just understand where they are coming from a little bit more. Not that mom didn't paint a clear picture."

"Yes, I'm sure she did," Francine replied with a sharp tone.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Come on Rory, let it go. Mom, lay off Lorelai." Christopher broke up an argument before it began. "Now, what's been going on with the two of you? Dad, how's work?" Straub Hayden was a state Supreme Court judge.

"Busy as usual. We just convened for a new year."

"Do you enjoy being a judge?" Rory knew very little about her father's parents. For as much as she knew Richard's love for the insurance business she was in the dark about Straub.

Straub was surprised that Rory was interested in his work, but happy to hear her speaking to him directly. "Yes. It's challenging but rewarding. I've loved everything about practicing law."

Rory nodded, not knowing what else to say. Instead she finished her soup and looked up at her grandmother once the waiter had removed their dishes. "Was there a particular reason for this meal?"

"Pardon me?" Francine asked, surprised by the question.

"I mean, we're not exactly on the best terms here. Every time we've been in the same room you've managed to express your dislike for both myself and my mother. So I was shocked that you actually wanted to sit down with me, not to mention you knew our phone number in Stars Hollow."

"It's like I explained dear, we just wanted to spend some time with you. We realize things have been…tense…between us over the last several years, but we'd like to move past that if possible. You are our only granddaughter and we don't want to miss the chance to know you. We've already missed so much."

"Your choice," Rory said with a shrug. "You had a chance three years ago but instead you chose to pick a fight with my mother and my grandparents in their home. Not exactly an endearing story."

"No, it was not our finest moment," Straub agreed. "But we'd like to make up for it."

"How do you propose that?"

"If you would cut the attitude, you would make this easier," Francine interrupted. "I find it hard to believe that Emily would have raised you with manners like this."

"You know, the constant digs at my mother are not winning you points."

"Points?" Francine scoffed. "We are your grandparents, we don't need 'points'."

"I know you would like to believe that but since you have yet to act like grandparents I don't owe you anything. You need to earn my trust and respect and appreciation." They started at Rory in shock.

"Rory, I think you're being a little harsh…" Christopher started to say. "You should give your grandparents a chance. They're trying to make things right."

"Yes, well, it's not going to happen over night Dad. While they might be used to getting their own way all of the time, it's not going to happen quite like that this time. I am not some society puppet that needs to grovel at their feet and get their approval. They've never approved of me yet I've turned out just fine."

"Rory!" It wasn't that he was shocked by her words, just that she would say them in front of his parents.

"What?" She looked at her father innocently and then down at her watch. "As lovely as this afternoon has been I think it's time for me to leave. Thank you for lunch." Rory stood and walked out of the club before any of them could reply. Waiting for the car, she pulled out her phone.

"Dragonfly Inn, Lorelai speaking."

"Mommy, I'm in big trouble."

"Big trouble like I'm going to be the youngest, hippest grandmother in town? Or big trouble like my mother is going to be calling me and chewing me out for being such a bad mother?"

"Umm…option 2?" Rory answered meekly.

"I'm so proud! Let's celebrate!"

Rory shook her head. "I'm never going to understand you." She climbed into her car while looking over her shoulder surprised not to see her father or grandparents coming towards her.

"I like to keep them guessing. Now tell mommy what happened."

"How about you meet me at home and help me forget what happened?"

"Oh honey, that bad?"

"I'd rather go back to sophomore year and golf with Grandpa at the club wearing that ridiculous hat every single day."

"That doesn't count! You enjoyed that day."

"How about my 16th birthday every day of my life?"

"Oh babe. I'm sorry. When will you be here?

"I'm just leaving the club, so about a half an hour." Rory pulled onto the highway and directed her car towards Stars Hollow. When she finally arrived at home Rory was only slightly surprised to see her mother beat her there. "Mom?" She called out, waking into the house.

"In the kitchen hun," Lorelai answered.

Whatever Rory expected to find this was certainly not it Lorelai had pulled out their seven dwarf shot glasses along with several bottles. "What's going on here?"

"Well sweets, you would have seen the Gilmore survival tactics after your golfing incident had it gone badly, but instead you had to fall in love with your grandfather. So I forced to wait for this college experience. I'd like you to meet a few of my friends: Jim, Jack and Jose."

"A pleasure to meet you boys."

"They're looking forward to helping you out today." She picked up Jose, poured two shots and passed one along with a lime and the salt. The Gilmore girls took the shots and smiled. "Feeling a little better yet?"

Rory nodded. "Certainly better than chocolate cake."

"Oh, never doubt the chocolate. It's waiting for us in the other room. Come on." Lorelai grabbed the bottles, Rory took the glasses and garnish and they headed for the living room. Here Lorelai had set up a decent sized movie night snack arrangement. "And there will be pizza and Chinese to counteract the alcohol."

"You're the best mommy ever!"

"I know. Now pick a movie out kid!"

Several hours later the Gilmore girls were buzzed and on a sugar high while watching Willy Wonka. "Somehow the alcohol makes this movie scary. I don't like it!" Lorelai pouted.

Rory gasped. "Not like it? That's unacceptable!" Lorelai would have responded but Rory's cell phone cut her off. "Lorelai's house of disappointment, how can we disappoint you?"

"Oh! That's a good one, I have to use that the next time my mother calls!"

"Mom! You can't say that to Grandma!"

"Why not?"

"Hello? Ace? You gonna pay attention to me? The person who called you?"

"Sorry Logan. My mom is distracting me. What's up?"

"Shouldn't you have been back from lunch like six hours ago?" Logan could help the concern in his voice.

"Oops. Sorry. I guess I should have called you. I'm drinking with mom. Needed to decompress."

Logan grimaced. "Ouch, that bad?"

"Oh yeah. Now I know how you feel with Mitchum."

He decided not to comment on that. "Do you want me to come out there?"

"Aw, that's sweet Logan, but you don't have to do that. Lunch tomorrow?"

"You gonna be up to it?"

"As long as it's tacos I'll be fine."

"Sounds great Ace. Call if you need me, okay?"

"You're the best boyfriend ever."

Logan laughed. "Thanks. I try."

Rory's grin stayed on her face as she hung up the phone and looked at her mom. "I have the best boyfriend ever." She sighed.

"So when are you going to tell him your big secret?

"Hush you! They're licking the wallpaper!" And just like that Lorelai was involved in the movie and forgot all about Rory's life.


	28. Responsibilities that Cannot Be Shirked

**A/N:** I know, I know. It's been years. Several times I've sat down to write more (as people always ask) and it just hasn't happened. Writers block, attention span, etc. However for some reason today I was able to put something together. I do hope to finish this story, just not quite sure how. Anyway, I hope you enjoy. It's been a really long time since I've written anything so I'm sorry if it's not so good.

**GGGGGGGGG**

**Chapter 28: Responsibilities That Cannot Be Shirked**

"Grandma, I don't understand why I have to go. I've never gone before." Rory whined into the phone quite uncharacteristically.

"Rory! After the stunt you pulled a few weeks ago I don't want to hear one complaint!" Emily's society tone was in full disdain.

"How can you defend them? How can you be mad at me for this? Nothing I said was a lie!"

"That does not matter, that conversation was inappropriate to be had in public. Your grandparents were trying to get to know you, you did not have to embarrass them in such a manner."

"I can't embarrass them but they can expect fully forgiveness because of one lunch?"

"I never said that!" Emily was starting to get defensive now.

"But that's what you meant isn't it? They're allowed to disapprove, ridicule and insult me and my mother my entire life but one lunch makes everything okay again? I can't believe you're saying this Grandma! You're such a hypocrite."

"Lorelai Leigh Gilmore! How dare you speak to me this way, I am your grandmother and you will treat me with the respect I deserve!"

Rory held back a scream and just pulled at her hair. "Grandma, I don't really understand you right now, but I know that I can't deal with you," she heard Emily gasp, "if you expect me to go to this stupid even then do not expect me or Mom at dinner for the next two months."

"You cannot do this Rory! You cannot blackmail me! We are paying for your tutition!"

"And if you remember correctly Friday night dinners were not mandatory with this loan, I wanted them to continue and I can end them just as easy!"

"I can't talk to you when you're like this. You're impossible. You're just like –"

Rory cut her off, "just like my mom? Grandma, when are you going to realize that isn't an insult to me? I'm proud to be like Mom."

"You would think dating Logan would teach you some manners."

Rory laughed. "What about Logan and his friends makes you think they're teaching me manners?"

"They know how to behave in society! They would have never pulled the stunt you did."

"Oh Grandma, you really are delusional." Rory shook her head sadly.

"Rory! What has gotten into you?"

"I don't appreciate being forced to go to some stupid event in Boston for no reason!"

"There is a reason! You are a Gilmore and a Hayden! You should have been going to these events for a long time. If you're going to inherit the names, money, status and responsibility that comes along with it then you must attend these events."

Her head was really starting to hurt. "Grandma, what in the world are you talking about?"

"Lorelai, surely you realized that both of your grandfathers would be naming you the heiress to their fortunes."

Rory fell back against her bed. "Excuse me?"

"Seriously? You never thought about it?"

"What about Dad?"

"Oh, of course he's inherited, but everything he has will be passed down to you. You are the only child of both your parents, the only grandchild on either side of the family. It's all yours."

"This is ridiculous! I don't want it!"

"Well you don't really have a choice!"

Rory screamed again. "Rory?" A softer, deeper voice responded.

She sighed. "Hi Grandpa."

"What seems to be going on?" His calm voice of reason and understanding came through and frustrated her even more.

"Grandma has informed me that I must attend the gala in Boston in two weeks. Apparently after the horrid display at the club two weeks ago with Dad and his parents I need to attend and apologize. You better talk to her because if she thinks I will apologize to those people she has another thing coming."

Richard let out a heavy sigh. "Calm down Rory, what else? I know there's more, I can see the steam from your grandmother's ears across the room."

She let out a giggle at her grandfather's description. "I told Grandma that if she was forcing me to go to this gala, where I would not apologize but not cause a scene then mom & I were taking a break from Friday night dinner."

"Oh."

"It's not that I don't want to see you Grandpa, but you can come visit at Yale, can't you? You always love it hear."

"That's not the point Rory."

"I know that." She sighed again. "But she can't keep ordering me around like this. I'm not a puppet, especially not a society puppet. I never have been. I am in this life and I don't hate it, but I'm a real person as well that lives outside of society. I treasure that."

"We know you do Rory. We would never try and take you away from that."

"Speak for yourself."

"That's not fair! Your Grandmother loves you, she doesn't want to lose you again. We lost all of your early years, we don't want to lose anymore.

"I don't want that either. I just don't want to feel forced into anything. It would have been nice to be asked nicely to attend and not been told I have to apologize. You know that won't happen."

"I know. And I'll talk to Emily about it. How long will you be gone from dinner?"

"Two months."

"Rory…"

"I know, but honestly, I can't go back on this. I need a break. Francine and Straub coming into my life hasn't been easy."

"Are they bothering you?" Richard was concerned, they had no right to pester her.

"No, not really. But they want to reconnect. Even if I'm rude and unrefined I am their granddaughter and for some inane reason they want to have a relationship with me." Richard started to say something but Rory didn't respond. "It's because of Logan isn't it?"

"What?"

"They want to get to know me because I'm dating a Huntzberger. I'm finally worthy of them. It makes sense! They didn't call me until Christmas which was only a few weeks after the news of Logan and I dating went public. I can't believe this!"

"Rory you need to calm down."

"I'm sorry Grandpa, I just can'."

His voice was firm "Yes you can. You are a Gilmore, now pull yourself together. This is how it will go – you will accept the fact that your other grandparents are not as accepting as Emily & I are. They are much more caught up on appearance – your grandmother and I have tried to get over that even if it hasn't worked as well for your grandmother. You will accept this and move on. You do not have to apologize, you do not have to be friends or spend holidays together. But you must be civil. If you cannot do that you are not the person I thought you were."

Rory was silent. She sighed and thought about her grandfather's words. "I know that speech was meant to be comforting but somehow I feel slightly insulted."

"You are your mother's daughter, you know that?"

"Thank you!" Rory smiled for the first time that afternoon. "Now I have to ask you something else."

"Yes dear?"

"What is this about me being an heiress to the Gilmore fortune?"

"Your grandmother has a big mouth."

Rory laughed, having never really heard her grandfather talk about her grandmother that way before. "Is it true?"

"Yes Rory, it is. I don't know how you didn't figure it out before, but did you really think I'd leave everything I've worked for to a stranger? Especially when I have such a smart, capable, beautiful granddaughter."

"You're just trying to butter me up!"

"Oh darn! You've figured me out!"

"You're serious though."

"I am. You will be fine, this won't be an issue for several years."

"When I graduate?"

"When you turn 21."

"Grandpa!"

"Relax Rory, I won't let anything happen that you're not prepared for."

"Somehow that doesn't make me feel better." She sighed. "Now when is this ridiculous gala? And what do I need to wear?"

"I'm sure your friends can help you pick something out. Just charge everything to me," Rory tried to argue but Richard interrupted, "I don't want to hear it. Go shopping with your friends buy everything you want, get a great hotel room for the night, have a spa day get yourself all dolled up and forget about your Grandmother's demands."

Rory laughed. "How'd you get so cool Grandpa?"

"You must be rubbing off on me!"

"Will you come visit me soon?"

"Of course. I'll call you later this week to schedule something."

"I love you Grandpa."

"I love you too Rory. I'll talk to you later."

Rory hung up the phone and sighed. Her grandmother could be so infuriating. Just knowing she would have to go to this gala and play nice with the Hayden's was bothering her. But if she was getting to be spoiled for a night on them then she was going to take full advantage. Going over to her computer she looked at hotels in Boston and booked the most expensive one making sure to arrange for a massage, manicure, pedicure, hair and makeup. Standing up and stretching Rory grabbed her phone and dialed.

"Hello?"

"Steph, I need some help."

"Rory? What's up? Everything okay?"

"Are you busy?"

"Not really, just hanging out at the guy's place. We were watching a movie."

"Turn around and tell my boyfriend to sit down because everything is fine."

Steph laughed but looked towards the door, "Logan! Rory says to sit down because everything is fine." Logan glared at her and came back into the main room. "He's glaring at me, be prepared…"

"Ace? What's going on?" Logan did not like the fact that Stephanie was called over him.

"Nothing's wrong Logan. It's a girl thing, I need some help."

"You're sure? I can help you…" He wasn't particularly comfortable with the idea of going out for tampons or Midol but if his Ace needed something he would be happy to get it for her.

"I need to go shopping for a dress and shoes, do you want to join?"

"Nope! Have fun!" Logan dropped the phone like a hot potato and went back to sitting with the guys.

"What was that?" Steph asked as she picked up the phone from her lap.

"Oh, I asked Logan if he wanted to go shopping for a dress and shoes, he declined."

"Shopping! Why didn't you say so? I'll be there in 5."

"Hey Steph?" Rory tried to get her attention before she hung up the phone.

"What's up girlie?"

"You need to pack a bag."

"Excuse me? Are you planning a big event on me?" The boys looked over at her then, that was a weird comment.

"Nope! I was just thinking that to make Grandma extra annoyed we would go shopping in New York City. Take a few days off. Oh! See if Rosemary wants to join!"

"Eeek!" Steph screamed and started jumping. "New York? Really? Rory I love you! Give me 30 minuets I'll grab Rosemary, we'll pack and be ready to go! Are we driving?" She was scrambling to find her shoes and purse now.

"Oh, I hadn't thought that far. I think it's too far to get a plane, but I will hire the limo. Grandpa will be fine with this." Her grandparents owed her big and one expensive weekend in Boston wasn't going to cut it.

"Excellent. I'll make sure we bring some champagne."

"Perfect. See you soon. Oh! And don't pack a lot, we can just buy there."

"I love the way you think Gilmore!" Steph hung up the phone and finally found her shoes. "I love the way your girlfriend thinks Logan!"

"What are you talking about?" The guys had been staring at her throughout the entire conversation, shocked at the turns it took.

"We're going to New York for the weekend?"

Finn jumped up with a big smile on his face. "New York? Really? I love New York doll!"

"That's great, but this is a girls weekend."

"Don't you want someone to carry the bags for you?" Finn asked with a little pout.

Steph stopped with her hand on the doorknob and turned around with a smile, "well…that would be convenient. Are you offering?"

"Of course doll. Watching you beautiful ladies try on clothes and hitting the great night life that is New York, what could be bad?"

She thought about it a little bit more. "Okay Finny, you can come!"

Finn grimaced at the name. "Doll!"

"But you let Rory call you that!"

"That's because she's Rory!"

Steph gasped. "You love Rory more than me!"

"How could you say such a thing?" Finn looked wounded.

Steph looked at her watch, "shit! I really need to go or I'll be late. Finn you have 25 minutes to get ready and meet us at Rory's dorm. Limo will be waiting." She opened the door and hurried out texting Rosemary at the same time so she would leave class.

"What in the world just happened?" Colin asked out loud.

"I have no idea, but looks like I'm going to New York City with the ladies!" Finn grinned and hurried to his room to pack.

"Looks like we should pack too," Colin said to Logan, "are you calling the plane or should I?"

"Can you do it? I'm gonna throw some stuff together and go talk to Rory." Colin smiled and nodded his head.

15 minutes later Logan was knocking on Rory's door, bag in hand. "Logan?" Rory asked as she opened the door and let him in.

"Hey Ace, I heard we're taking a trip." He threw his famous Huntzberger grin at her.

"Who'd you hear that from? Last time we spoke you didn't want to go shopping with us…"

"Yes well that was before you said vacation in New York City and Finn said he wanted to come along and carry your bags."

Rory looked at him slightly confused, "Really? When did that happen?"

"Once you hung up. He was so excited Steph said if he could be ready in 25 minutes he could come along."

"Which of course meant you and Colin are joining as well." Rory rolled her eyes and moved back into her room to finish packing.

Logan followed her, closing the door behind him and catching her hand swinging her around so she was trapped between him and the door. "Want to tell me what's going on Ace?"

"What are you talking about? I need a dress and shoes so we're going shopping." She tried to move out of his hold without any luck.

Logan loosened his hold just a little bit wanting to be extra careful not to hurt her . "Yes, you did say that but you failed to mention you wanted to go all the way to New York for said outfit. You never even told me why you need such a fancy outfit, what's going on?"

"Oh nothing, my grandparents are forcing me to attend some event with them. I decided if I was going to be forced they were going to pay for the outfit."

Logan smirked, "you're becoming one of us already!"

She glared at him. "That's not the point."

"Yes it is. But in the good way, you're not spoiled, just taking advantage as you've been taken advantage of."

Now that made her think for a second. "Oh wow." She stared at him for a moment longer. "I never thought about it that way."

"Truthfully I haven't either. But it's the truth." Logan backed away and Rory moved towards the bed, sitting down for a minute. "We may be spoiled but spending their money when they're forcing us into something is not part of that."

"Right right. Okay, so you boys are coming along. Will you be complaining as we shop?" Rory threw the last of her things into the bag and zipped it up.

"Will you be buying lingerie this trip as well? Do I get to watch you try it on?" Rory smiled at him coyly and Logan couldn't hold back the grin. "It's worth it if you're trying on lingerie for me."

"Logan…we can't make out in the dressing room."

"Says who?" He asked with a smirk, "Hey, that's all your bringing?" Logan looked at her strangely, it was an awfully small bag for a few days and nights in New York.

"Yup. And then we'll shop there." Rory grinned and he laughed. "You're evil Gilmore." She nodded, "yup and you love it!" Logan pulled her into his arms and smiled down at her, "you're right about that." And then his lips were on hers.

"Rory! Are you here? Let's get going! The plastic is burning a whole in my purse!" Steph's loud voice came through the room and Logan groaned.

"And did you know the boys were coming?" Rosemary shouted out.

"Yeah, I knew. We're coming."

"We?" Steph asked, smiling when she saw Logan come out of the room carrying Rory's bag. "Oh, I see."

"Shut it Vanderbilt!" Rory stuck her tongue at her friend and wrapped her arm around Logan's waist.

"We're here dolls! Let's get this show on the road." Finn announced himself and Colin and smiled at everyone. "You ready my lovely Rosemary?"

"It was so nice of you to come along to carry our bags Finny," Rory smiled at him and moved away from Logan to give him a hug.

"You know I really hate that name love." Finn hugged her bag and ruffled her hair.

"Hey! Don't touch the hair! And you know you love when I call you that name. Now are we leaving?" Everyone nodded and headed out of Rory's room for the car. Colin instructed the driver to the airfield and Rory looked at them. "Really? Not into the drive down?"

"Come on Rory, it just means we get to the stores faster!" Steph commented getting Rory to smile.

"You're right, you're right." She grinned at her friend. "Of course I'm right!" They got to the airstrip without a problem and boarded the plane before Rory thought of her mother. "Oh!" She searched through her purse for the phone and immediately dialed Lorelai.

"Fruit of my loins! How are you this lovely Wednesday afternoon?" Lorelai greeted her daughter merrily.

"What are you on? You're way too happy."

"I'm on the glory that is life! Now to what do I owe this pleasure?"

"I just wanted to let you know that I'm on my way to New York City with the gang, will be there probably through the weekend." At this everyone else snapped their heads towards Rory, not expecting her to be okay skipping all those classes. "But to make that up to you, no Friday night dinners for the next two months!"

"You're going to skip all that class? What's wrong?" Lorelai stopped when she processed the Friday night dinner part and there was dead silence. "What did they do? Do I need to hurt them? Are they going to call and bitch at me?"

Rory shrugged. "I have no idea if Grandma will feel the need to call and yell at you, I'm hoping that Grandpa calmed her down."

"You talked to your grandfather on the phone?" Lorelai was shocked, Richard never really got on the phone for family calls. Conversation usually happened at dinner every week.

"Well the call between Grandma and I got pretty intense, he had to intervene."

"Oh wow kid, are you okay?" Lorelai's concern was evident, Rory rarely got into it with her grandparents. "And explain why no dinner?"

"That's yet to be decided. The short version is that Grandma is forcing me to go to some big event that I don't want to go to and then she started yelling at me about lunch a few weeks ago. I'm apparently not society enough for her, blah blah blah. She basically wants me to apologize which I will not do. I told her that if I was being forced to attend this event then we wouldn't be attending dinner for two months."

"Did you tape this conversation? I would pay to hear it."

"No sorry. Grandma got upset so Grandpa came to the phone. He told me to book a fancy hotel, have a spa day, get my hair and makeup done and charge it all to them. So I did that and then decided the shops in Hartford just aren't good enough for a dress so I am going shopping in New York. I was just going to bring Steph but everyone else decided to come. So we're on Colin's plane, leaving in a few minutes. Actually I think they're waiting on me to get off the phone. I'll call you later and give you the long version?"

"Sounds good. I'm glad you're okay, my parents really are a piece of work."

"I agree. Oh and mom?"

"Yeah kid?"

"The phrase 'heiress' was thrown into the conversation several times."

"You've got to be kidding me."

"Nope."

Lorelai sighed. "Okay, well enjoy the weekend with your friends. We'll talk more about this later. I'm going to call your dad."

"Good thinking. Let him know that word was mentioned in regards to his side of the family too."

"Seriously?"

"I love you mom."

"Love you too kid." Rory hung up the phone, sighing sadly as she buckled her seatbelt. She knew her friends had heard most of, if not all of that conversation and she certainly didn't feel like explaining. Instead she put her headphones on and relaxed, hoping the entire situation would go just go away.


	29. Don't Ask Don't Tell

**Chapter 29: Don't Ask Don't Tell**

"Is that pressure okay?" The massuse asked, pressing down on Rory's back.

"That feels great. Thank you." Rory sighed as she closed her eyes and tried to pretend she wasn't in Boston.

The trip to New York had been a great success – Steph and Rosemary had helped her fine a gorgeous dress and shoes (they weren't even as expensive as she anticipated). Then the boys took them on a shopping spree and included a morning at the spa for them. Logan even managed to steal her away one night so the two of them could do some things on their own.

She knew they were all dying to ask questions. She knew the entire night at dinner Logan wanted to discuss everything that was bothering her. She just didn't want to talk about it. And if anyone understood not wanting to talk about family problems it was the five people she was with.

The only good part about this weekend (besides the hotel) was that her dad was going to be around. They had dinner last nigh when she got in and he was picking her up this evening to escort her for the gala. And then tomorrow they would spend the day together, father and daughter. It wasn't something they did often and Rory always jumped at the opportunity.

Four hours later Rory was dressed and opening the door to her room. "Hey Dad, you look handsome."

"Thanks babe, you look spectacular. All on your grandparents?"

"You better believe it." She stepped back a moment and picked up her purse, "are you ready?"

Chris nodded, "but are you?"

"Never. But the sooner we leave, the sooner we get there, the sooner we leave. How long do we even have to stay?"

"At least three hours. My parents wouldn't tell me much about the gathering, I don't know if any of your friends will be around. I have a feeling their parents will be there."

Rory turned stark white and stared at her father. "Really?" She hadn't thought about the adults being at the party. She really hadn't thought of any of her friends being invited, but a lot of Hartford society mingled with Boston society so in a way in made sense. Rory sighed, "Oh well. They were bound to find out somehow."

"What do you mean?" Chris got into the limo after her and they were on their way.

"My friends haven't figured out who you are." She smiled at his still confused face. "I only go by Gilmore, so if I don't tell them or they don't think about the scandal no one remembers that my father is a Hayden."

"But you didn't tell them? Not even Logan?"

She shook her head. "When you deal with society too much comes with putting the Hayden name out there."

"I understand, but aren't they going to be upset?"

"I suppose, but I'll deal with that when it happens. Is something going to happen tonight?"

Chris shook his head. "I don't know, my parents weren't really saying anything about tonight, but anything is possible with them. But let's not try and fight with them, or Emily and Richard okay? Let's just enjoy ourselves."

"Can I drink?" Rory knew she'd need a little alcohol to calm her nerves.

"Nothing that my parents could detect is liquor. Stick to rum and coke or something. If they find out it won't be good."

"Why are they so crazy?" Just then the car stopped. "Here we go…" Chris got out first, then helped Rory out. As they walked into the hotel there were a few flashes but the pair was concentrated more on getting into the ballroom.

"Is it over yet?" Rory moaned, her head on her father's shoulder.

"Nope. But there's Emily and Richard. Let's go say hello." Chris practically dragged Rory over to her grandparents and smiled. "Emily! Richard! Lovely to see you, how are you doing?"

"Christopher! I didn't think you'd be here." Richard smiled and shook his hand. "Rory you look beautiful.

"Thanks Grandpa." Rory blushed and kissed her grandfather's cheek. "Have you been here long?"

"Not at all. We haven't seen your parents yet Christopher."

"Oh you know them, playing host and hostess."

"Francine did an excellent job putting this all together, the room looks lovely." Emily smiled at them both.

"I'm sure she'd love to hear that. If you'll excuse me I see a couple of business associates I must say hello to." Christopher walked away leaving Rory with her grandparents and knowing she would give him hell later.

Emily smiled at her, trying to make a connection. "The dress is lovely Rory."

"Thank you Grandma, you look beautiful as always. How are you?" They continued idle chit chat for a few moments before a loud voice interrupted them. "Emily! Richard! Here you are!"

"Hello Mitchum, Shira." Richard shook hands and kissed cheeks. "You know Rory."

Mitchum turned his attention to her, "excuse me Rory, I didn't see you there. You look beautiful. I didn't know you were going to be here – does that mean my son and his friends are here as well?"

Rory shook her head, "as far as I know they're back at Yale having a grand old time."

"That figures." Mitchum looked disappointed and Rory tried hard not to show the disgust she was feeling. He was a great businessman but a terrible father.

The women had broken off and were discussing the décor and somehow Rory was left with the men, but that was fine with her. Until she heard _his _voice. "Mitchum! Great to see you! And Richard, I was looking for you." The men both smiled at Straub approached and Rory had to fight not to stick her tongue out at him. "Lorelai, I'm glad you could make it."

"I didn't really have much choice in the matter." Richard glared at her and Rory tried again. "Thank you for including me in the invitation. It was unexpected but the room looks lovely."

"Yes, your grandmother does have a way with decorating." Straub smiled and shook his head fondly as he spoke of Francine.

"Grandma really is the queen of party planning I do hope Francine consulted her." Although Rory didn't see it, Emily overheard her words and a big smile graced her face. Rory however, was concentrated on the slightly unhappy look on Straub's face and the shock on Mitchum's. "If you'll excuse me I think Dad needs some saving from the DAR ladies." Gracefully Rory smiled and moved away from the group, towards her father. "Hey Dad, what kind of trouble have you gotten yourself into?" Rory smiled at both him and the women.

"Trouble! Me? Never!"

Rory smiled at her dad, happy when she heard the music playing. "Will you dance with me?"

"Of course. Excuse me ladies while I spin my daughter around the room." He gave them his winning smile and walked Rory towards the dance floor where several other couples were moving around. "Thanks for that."

"Oh I should be thanking you. Your save got me away from Grandpa, Mitchum and Straub." Rory smiled as they danced, "remember the debutante ball? I think that was the last time we danced together."

Chris smiled. "That was a great day. You were beautiful."

"I was happy you could be there." Rory returned his smile and they continued dancing until dinner was announced. "Where do you think we'll be sitting?"

"If my parents were nice we'd be sitting together, but most likely I'll be with business associates dad wants me to impress and you'll be with one set of your grandparents. Most likely my parents as they want to show you off."

"Why do I feel like something big is going to happen tonight?" Rory wondered, moving to find her placecard. She was happy to find that she was sitting with her father, however it would be with his parents as well. "At least they let me sit with you."

Chris nodded, "it'll be okay kid."

And it was. Nothing big happened the entire night. Straub actually requested she sit next to him and they managed to have a lovely conversation. Nothing too personal, just learning about her studies at Yale and his years in law and subsequent appoint to the Supreme Court. "Rory, would you give me the honor of this dance?" Straub asked as dinner ended and the music started again. As Straub was standing next to her chair everyone was watching, but she felt the eyes of her three other grandparents and father searing into her.

"That would be lovely, thank you." And with that Rory took his hand and followed him onto the dance floor.

"Thank you for not making a scene." Straub said as they moved around.

Rory bowed her head. "It is not my goal to be inappropriate or make you upset. But you must understand where I'm coming from. Everything that you think I am doing to you, you have done to me and worse. You denied my existence, you ridiculed and demeaned my mother and then blamed my grandparents for something that was the fault of both you son and their daughter."

"I recognize that Rory. I may be slow to admit faults and apologize, but I am sorry. We treated you terribly your entire life. I know you don't understand why we want to make a connection now – all I can tell you is that as you get older you realize your mistakes. And when you realize them and have an opportunity to correct them you want to do so."

Rory thought about this for a moment. "Does this have anything to do with the fact that I'm dating Logan Huntzberger?" They stopped dancing for a moment and Rory swore she saw anger flash through Straub's eyes.

"Please come with me." He took her off the dance floor, knowing that every set of eyes was on them, and moved to the terrace. "I understand why you think that, I am disappointed that you do but I cannot blame you for those thoughts. We have not been kind to you. Now I can only speak for myself, but no, the reason I am reaching out has nothing to do with your boyfriend."

"What about Francine?"

Straub grimaced, "I will not speak for her."

"So you're saying her interest in me is because of who I'm dating?"

"You'll to ask her that yourself Rory." She stared at him intently, almost as if in awe. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"You called me Rory."

"That is the name you guy by, isn't it?"

"Yes, yes, of course. But neither of you have called me that before. It was always Lorelai."

"I told you, we're trying to change, to make things up to you, to be a part of your life." Straub kept looking at her intently, almost to the point where it made her uncomfortable. "I know things cannot be fixed in one meeting or one dance or one lunch. But we would enjoy the opportunity to get to know you better."

Rory nodded. "Thank you for talking to me. For apologizing. I don't understand why you did what you did, but you have given me a lot to think about."

Straub nodded with a smile. "As long as you think about it that's all we ask."

"Dad? Rory?" Christopher's voice interrupted them. "Is everything okay?"

"Everything is fine Christopher. I haven't harmed your daughter." Straub winked at Rory and she smiled.

Chris came up behind her placing his hands on her shoulders. "I never thought you would. I actually came out here for you dad, mom is looking for you."

Straub nodded, "you'll come inside shortly?"

"Yes." He walked away and Christopher turned Rory around to face him. "Ror? Are you okay?" He noticed that she had tears in her eyes and was worried. "My father didn't do anything, did he? He wasn't lying just then?"

Rory shook her head. "Oh no, he was fine. The conversation was fine. He apologized."

"Really?" Chris didn't think his father apologized for anything.

"Yes."

"Then what's wrong?"

She sighed. "While he told me this reconciliation isn't about my dating Logan, it was hinted that that was Francine's reasoning."

"You won't know unless you ask. Talking with your grandfather didn't turn out so bad, why don't you try your grandmother?"

Rory thought about that for a second. "Can we get a drink first?" Chris nodded and they headed inside. After finishing a drink and successfully avoiding all of her friends parents, Rory went in search of Francine. "Excuse me," Rory interrupted Francine as she spoke with a few other women she didn't recognize. "May we speak for a moment please?"

"Excuse me ladies while I speak with my granddaughter." Francine smiled at her friends and walked away with Rory, once again outside so they had a bit of privacy. "How can I help you Lorelai?"

Rory mentally rolled her eyes – if Straub could call her Rory why couldn't Francine? "I spoke with Straub a little while ago, we had a good conversation. But I asked him something that he said he wouldn't speak for you. So I need to ask you."

Francine was surprised at the blunt conversation but at least it was a conversation not yelling at each other. "What can I do for you Lorelai?"

"Is the only reason you're talking to me now because I'm dating Logan Huntzberger?" Rory studied Francine's face intently watching for every reaction. Unfortunately it was not that one that she'd hoped for.

"Why would you think that?" Francine sounded a little more guarded then she had a minute ago and mentally berated herself for it.

"The timing worked out too perfectly and our history hasn't been the best. I hadn't heard a word from you before news got out about my new boyfriend." Rory watched Francine try to come up with something to say. "It's okay, your face says it all. At least I know the truth." And with a sad smile Rory turned and walked back into the ballroom.

"Lorelai! Wait, please!" Francine called after her but Rory did not turn around.

"Ror? Everything okay?" Christopher had seen her come back into the ballroom looking slightly defeated and noticed his mother entering looking very upset.

"She didn't give me the right answer," Rory told him softly.

"What do you mean?" Christopher asked, a little more worried then he was before.

"Rory? What just happened outside?" Straub approached them and Rory took a quick look around the room seeing that Francine went back to her same group of friends, acting as if nothing had happened.

"She gave me the wrong answer." Rory didn't know how to address Straub, he wasn't Grandpa and it didn't quite feel right to be calling him grandfather.

"I'm sorry about that." He placed an arm around her shoulders and squeezed.

Rory looked up at him sadly. "You knew?"

"Knew what?" Christopher asked for the second time.

"The only reason Francine wanted to make amends is because I'm dating Logan." She let out a heavy sigh. "Can we go now Dad?" Christopher looked from his father to his daughter back to his father. "If you would like to go I understand," Straub started, "however there is something I'd like to give you. It's from both Francine and I but…"

"It's okay, she'll be even angrier if she doesn't get to play perfect grandmother so let's just get it over." The Hayden men looked at each other; Chris knew his father wanted to say something but he firmly shook his head. This wasn't the time.

"Alright, give me a few minutes and we'll get everything started." Straub went to find Francine and they spoke for a moment before moving to the head of the dance floor where the band was. "Excuse me folks, if we could have your attention please." Everyone stopped and looked at the couple. "We hope you are all enjoying your evening at our annual winter gala – this year we want to introduce someone very special. This is her first time at this gala but we do hope she'll be back next year."

Again, Rory mentally rolled her eyes. She never understood why her grandparents/society insisted upon these formal announcements, couldn't things happen in the privacy of our home?

"Rory? Could you please come up here?" Straub and Francine grinned in her direction and she was pushed by her father towards the front of the room – standing next to Straub she waited for whatever was next. "For those of you who don't recognize this young lady, she is our granddaughter Rory Gilmore." Out of the corner of her eye she noticed Francine grimace slightly at the use of her nickname and that made her happy. "She's a freshman at Yale, a journalism major. We won't bore you with all the wonderful things about her, but we have a little something for her as a late graduation gift." Francine handed Rory a box and she slowly opened it. She gasped as she stared at the beautiful diamond necklace and then looked up at her grandfather. "This was one of the first pieces of jewelry my father gave my mother. She was only a little bit older than you are now. She was a strong woman, always stood up for what she believed in even if my father disagreed and it was not the popular decision. You remind me of her constantly; she would be very proud of you today and honored if you would wear one of her most beloved treasures."

Rory stared at her grandfather, not really knowing what to say. With a soft voice and a smile she replied, "thank you for this, I am truly honored. Would you put it on for me?" Straub smiled and took the necklace out of the box and around her neck. She hugged him tight and only because she had to hugged her grandmother as well. Suddenly remembering all the people that were staring at her, Rory went bright red and hurried off the stage to her father.

They were forced to stay another half hour as people came to introduce themselves and look at the necklace. Now that she was known as a Hayden she was very important to these people. It made her sick. "Now Daddy, please?"

He nodded, "let's say goodbye to the grandparents."


End file.
